Intimidating, boring, and male dominated: why young people are still
Intimidating, boring, and male dominated: why young people are still avoiding STEM subjects STEM subjects viewed as harder and more dull than humanities subjects Girls believe men outnumber women in STEM due to gender stereotyping and lack of famous female role models However half more likely to consider STEM subjects thanks to TV show The Big Bang Theory Mondelēz International calls for more joint business and government action to encourage young people to choose a career in STEM as it looks to recruit for 50 STEM positions Embargoed until: 00.01 Tuesday, 6th May 2014: As young people around the country enter exam season, new UK research by Mondelēz International reveals that they are shunning STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) because they consider them intimidating and boring. School students are failing to choose subjects and potential careers in this area, despite 39% of UK firms struggling to recruit workers with STEM skills according to the CBI.1 Mondelēz International, manufacturer of brands such as Cadbury, Oreo and Kenco, reveals that amongst 1,500 young people aged 14-18 the decision to shun a future job in STEM starts when choosing subjects at school. The top reason young people avoid STEM subjects at school is because they find them boring - 44% consider them uninteresting. When compared to humanities subjects, 53% consider STEM subjects to be ‘harder’ and 40% think they are less ‘fun’2 Misperceptions about what a job in STEM entails are negatively influencing young peoples’ choices: Over two thirds (67%) believe that only people with the highest IQs can work in a STEM related job, while over one in five (21%) think you need to be a ‘geek’ 60% believe you need a degree to obtain a job in STEM pointing to a lack of understanding about the range of opportunities available post-GCSE and A-Level 47% fear they are not ‘technical’ enough for a job in STEM Girls are particularly likely to be deterred from choosing STEM subjects and jobs with only 49% of girls considering it, compared to 64% of boys. In addition, girls are especially put off by engineering with only 19% saying they would consider a career in that field versus 51% of boys. 1 The CBI 2013 Education and Skills Survey, found 39% of UK firms are struggling to recruit workers with the advanced and technical STEM skills needed 2 Versus only 14% who think humanities are ‘harder’ and 31% who think humanities are less ‘fun’. Research shows that, according to female students, men outnumber women in STEM due to gender stereotyping from a young age (62%) and a lack of famous female role models (43%). When choosing subjects at school: a third (34%) of girls believe that careers advice is pushing young women into non-STEM subjects; while 46% of people see STEM subjects are ‘more male’ than humanities (4%) and; 34% of girls are intimidated by the perception of STEM as a male dominated area. Diane Tomlinson, HR Director, at Mondelēz International said: “Science, technology, engineering and maths skills are the backbone of Mondelēz International’s manufacturing and research & development functions. Attracting and developing these skills in our employees is essential for future business growth as well as UK economic success. If we do not prioritise these subjects we face being left behind in the global innovation race. It’s dispiriting to hear that young people are intimidated by STEM subjects as jobs in STEM can be hugely fun, creative and inspiring and companies nowadays offer great career opportunities with training provided in the more technical aspects.” To encourage more young people to choose STEM subjects, half (50%) of them would like to receive a better understanding of the types of jobs available in STEM and 46% want the opportunity to carry out work experience in a STEM job. Also, 41% want a greater understanding of ‘real world’ applications of STEM subjects and 34% want people who work in STEM to visit their school to give career guidance talks. The explosion of science and maths-related TV shows in recent years is having a positive side-effect, with 48% of young people saying that watching the American TV comedy The Big Bang Theory has made them more interested in STEM subjects, while The Gadget Show (42%) and programmes presented by scientist Brian Cox (37%) also had a similar effect. Despite being intimidated by STEM subjects and jobs, 48% of young people recognise that STEM subjects would be more useful than humanities subjects compared to 21% who consider humanities more useful. In addition, 59% believe STEM subjects would lead to a better paid job. Therefore, Mondelēz International calls for further action in the following areas: 1. Businesses need to reach out to local schools to inspire young people about the fun and interesting nature of modern STEM jobs 2. Business and government need to work with local schools to provide careers guidance and practical, real-life workshops focused on STEM that showcase the exciting prospects that STEM subjects can offer 3. Training and supporting high achieving women working in a STEM job to reach out to young people to combat negative gender stereotypes To lead the way, Mondelēz International, in addition to reaching out to over 10,000 young people in the UK in 2013, is expanding its unique ‘Taste of Work’ programme, funded through the Cadbury Foundation. It is also growing its school outreach and careers guidance through its ‘School Ambassadors’ programme to encourage even more young people to consider a future in STEM. Also, strengthening its position as a key employer of young people the company has committed to doubling its early careers intake by end 2015. Gary Drabble, STEM Strategy Manager at Sheffield City Council has been working with Mondelēz International to encourage more students to consider STEM as a subject and potential job path. He said: “Programmes like ‘Taste of Work’ offer a vital opportunity for students to get a flavour of what it’s like to work in a real science, engineering or manufacturing role. It helps young people to understand what a job in a STEM subject actually looks like and how they can follow that career path.” Other interesting findings include: There is a lack of understanding about the careers that studying STEM can lead to, with only 5% believing they can lead to a career in manufacturing despite the industry being heavily reliant on STEM skills Despite widespread use in media and policy circles, only one in four (24%) young people know what the acronym STEM refers to 64% of decisions by young people on subject choices at school are impacted by whether they believe it to be an interesting topic, 59% by job prospects available, 47% by links to plans for university and future career. Only a third (33%) of subject choices are impacted by the prospect of a well-paid job - ENDS - Notes to editors For further details please contact: Juliana Bruton or Hannah Nicholl at Blue Rubicon on [email protected] or 020 7260 2700. Or call the Mondelēz International UK Press Phone on 01895 615 011 or email [email protected]. Regional breakdown of results available upon request. A variety of spokespeople, case studies and images available upon request: Spokespeople include: Diane Tomlinson, HR Director at Mondelēz International Gemma Friggens, Early Careers lead at Mondelēz International Gary Drabble, STEM Strategy Manager at Sheffield City Council Bournville (Birmingham) based employee case studies of people working STEM: Martyn Robinson, Global R&D product design team Trang Ly, Maintenance Technician Jessica Harvey, Procurement Innovation Manager (previously a graduate) Reading based employee case studies of young people working STEM: Kelly Fourtouni, Senior Scientist working in the Global Ingredients Research team Steve Reilly, Senior Quality Officer and Trainee Scientist Manager Ethan Harris, Trainee Scientist Banbury (Oxfordshire) based employee case studies of young people working STEM: Mark Keaney, Section Manager, (Packing, Warehouse & Planning) Oliver French, Electrical Engineering Apprentice Sheffield based employee case studies of young people working STEM: Dawn Woodcock, Multi-skilled Maintenance Engineer Apprentice About the research: The survey was conducted among 1500 males and females aged 14-18 years old across the UK The interviews were conducted online by Redshift Research in April 2014 using an email invitation and an online survey About Mondelēz International STEM programmes: Taste of Work The Taste of Work programme, launched in 2007, brings students into our Birmingham and Sheffield factories to experience a real working environment, with the aim of inspiring young people to consider studying and pursuing careers within science, technology, engineering and maths Mondelēz International has created a strong partnership with Sheffield City Council which manages and delivers the programme. It is funded by the Cadbury Foundation which has provided £672,500 since 2007 In 2013, 10,000 young people were reached through a variety of events in schools and at Mondelēz sites, and employees from across the business were involved in over 100 days’ worth of activity There has been a 30% increase in students looking to pursue STEM subjects following involvement in the Sheffield programme Following the success of the programme in Sheffield and Birmingham, the programme is being expanded to Banbury in May 2014 School Ambassadors The Mondelēz International School Ambassadors programme was launched in November 2013 to drive awareness of the careers and recruitment opportunities in the food and drink industry School Ambassadors from the business are teamed with up with local schools. They visit and work with the teachers and young people on an ongoing basis to provide guidance. The programme is led by Mondelēz International graduates Mondelēz International School Ambassadors aim to target young people who will be making subject choices for both GCSE and A Levels Since November 2013, 45 secondary schools across three locations (Birmingham, Sheffield, and Banbury) have been reached In 2014, Mondelēz will deepen the relationship with existing schools by working with them to create mock assessment centres, STEM workshops, interview workshops and career fairs so that students can experience what a real life job in STEM entails and can prepare for potential careers in that field BiTC Business Class Aimed at providing support for students who may be facing social disadvantage, Business Class is facilitated by Business in the Community (BitC); an organisation which works to create links between business and society across the country Dame Elizabeth Cadbury School in Bournville is the latest learning institution in the West Midlands to sign up to take part in the Business Class initiative after forming a partnership with global treat provider, Mondelēz International. Classes will begin in the Summer term About early careers at Mondelēz International RD&Q (Research, Development and Quality) roles Mondelēz International is currently looking to recruit for at least 50 roles across RD&Q, Science and Engineering Apprenticeships Mondelēz International has a long history of offering apprenticeship programmes. Cadbury can trace their commitment to training apprentices back to the 1900s, and Kraft began its programme 30 years ago There are currently 66 within the business and approximately 20 places are on offer every year across a variety of sites Positions are across Engineering, Maintenance, Confectionery and RD&Q programme Graduates There are currently 51 graduates within the business and approximately 20 places are on offer every year across a variety of sites Positions are across Engineering, Supply Chain, Sales and Marketing, and Finance Upon successful completion of the programme graduates are offered a permanent role in the organisation Training for graduates consists of a number of rotations across departments and there is also the potential to work internationally at one of the European sites School Leavers School Leavers is Mondelēz’s newest early careers programme, launched in 2014 with 10-15 School Leaver places on offer The programme allows young people to enter the workplace straight from school and learn ‘on the job’ Positions available across Sales, Supply Chain, Engineering and HR. Whilst working, the students will complete a foundation degree MEng Food Engineering degree course The industry has developed a new engineering degree course to ensure that we address the skills gap and secure a talented future workforce In partnership with the National Skills Academy for Food & Drink and Sheffield Hallam University, the Food And Drink Federation has developed MEng Food Engineering - the UK's first accredited engineering degree at Masters level dedicated entirely to food and drink manufacturing (http://www.shu.ac.uk/prospectus/course/1247/) Mondelēz International, in conjunction with other members is proud to be supporting the degree course About Mondelēz International in Europe With 26,000 employees in 17 countries, Mondelēz International in Europe is a leader in its five key categories: chocolate, biscuits, coffee, cheese, as well as gum and candy. Its portfolio includes beloved brands such as Cadbury, Côte d’Or, Milka, Toblerone, Carte Noire, Kenco, Jacobs, Tassimo, BelVita, LU, Oreo, Trident, Halls and Philadelphia. About Mondelēz International Mondelēz International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDLZ) is a global snacking powerhouse, with 2013 revenue of $35 billion. Creating delicious moments of joy in 165 countries, Mondelēz International is a world leader in biscuits, chocolate, gum, candy, coffee and powdered beverages, with billion-dollar brands such as Oreo, LU and Nabisco biscuits; Cadbury, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Milka chocolate; Trident gum; Jacobs coffee and Tang powdered beverages. Mondelēz International is a proud member of the Standard and Poor’s 500, NASDAQ 100 and Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Visit www.mondelezinternational.com and www.facebook.com/mondelezinternational.
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