In an open letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the influential group has appealed to the government to work together with educators and industry to develop practical support for teachers of young children and to embed engineering in their existing STEM learning.
The letter - signed by Major Tim Peake, Carol Vorderman MBE, will.i.am, and industry representatives from Rolls Royce, Vodafone and the MOD, amongst others - calls on the government to join the campaign and contribute to securing the UK's future as a nation of innovators, whose skills will become increasingly important in the coming decades to help tackle the global challenges posed by the ambition to reach net zero and meeting the pledges made at COP26.
In June this year, the IET's own report - ‘Addressing the STEM skills shortage challenge’ - revealed an estimated shortfall of over 173,000 workers in the STEM sector, with an average of 10 unfilled roles per business in the UK. The IET...