Govt commits to a more diverse science and tech workforce

The Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic, has announced a commitment to widen the pipeline of talent available to the science and technology sectors, as the Australian Government asks the Department of Industry, Science and Resources to determine how existing government programs can be reformed to support greater diversity in Australia’s science and technology sectors. The review is also aimed at reinforcing the government’s commitment to supporting pathways for women and girls into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

The commitment emerged from discussions held in the lead-up to and during the Jobs and Skills Summit.

“We need to find new ways to call up and skill up Australians from all corners of the community,” Husic said.

“Improving diversity in our science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce is not only the right thing to do, it will also deliver a huge boost to our national economy — $60 billion over the next 20 years.

“Breaking the back of a decade-long science and tech skills shortage will be a tough job, but a necessary one.”

Husic stated that women make up only 16% of people with STEM qualifications, while only 0.5% of First Nations people hold university-level STEM qualifications. He said, “Renewed effort is required to address this problem and meet the growing demand for workers in the tech and science sectors.”

The review of government programs is also designed to play a part in achieving the target of 1.2 million tech-related jobs by 2030. Husic said widening the skills pipeline to provide more inclusive pathways is “a huge priority” — one which will help in harnessing “new technologies for national wellbeing” as well as building “stronger businesses, secure jobs and higher wages”.

The review will examine the delivery and impact of existing programs under the government’s Women in STEM program suite and, where appropriate, government science and innovation investments with a view to increasing the diversity of participants. It will establish what is working, what is not, and where these lessons can be applied to improve overall diversity in STEM, and look at what is being done internationally for lessons that Australia could apply to its efforts in this area.

The review will also examine cultural and structural barriers that limit participation and retention of women and other underrepresented groups in STEM professions. It is expected to make recommendations on concrete measures to attract, promote and retain diverse groups within the STEM workforce to maximise innovation, creativity, leadership and competitiveness.

The Chief Scientist of Australia, Dr Cathy Foley, said the review is “timely”.

“We know that despite years of effort, women are still significantly underrepresented in STEM occupations, and the problem goes all the way back to the mid-school years when the participation of girls starts to drop off,” Foley said.

“But this is more than just about representation. Getting the settings right for women and for other groups in our community is about equity. It will also ensure we can fill the skills gaps in industries set to shape Australia over the next two decades, by making use of our full human potential.”

The review has also been welcomed by Science & Technology Australia (STA), whose government-backed Superstars of STEM program seeks to build the profile of diverse women role models to appear regularly as prominent science and technology experts in the media.

“To truly prosper, Australia’s economy urgently needs to attract and retain more women, First Nations people, regional Australians, culturally and linguistically diverse people, people with a disability and Australians from low socioeconomic backgrounds into science and technology careers,” said STA CEO Misha Schubert.

“To make major strides to address chronic gender inequity in sectors where that underrepresentation is most acute, you need consistent strong leadership, long-term investments at scale, strong buy-in and a powerful resolve to drive cultural change.

“STA has a strong commitment to publish detailed evaluations on our programs to share insights on what is working — and help speed broader equity gains in the science and technology sector for women and the breadth of Australia’s diverse communities.

“To create the ‘future powered by science’ envisaged by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, we need to be able to draw on Australia’s full talent pool. Clear action to eliminate barriers to participation for women and under-represented groups are key to that goal.”

Image credit: iStock.com/sanjeri

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