Written Question · S5W-08142 · Session 5
In light of the finding in the OPITO report, The Youth Perception of a Career in the Oil and Gas Industry, that 20% of female respondents f…
The question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the finding in the OPITO report, The Youth Perception of a Career in the Oil and Gas Industry, that 20% of female respondents from Scotland to its survey said that they wanted to pursue a career in the oil and gas industry, and the comment by the interim chief executive of OPITO that women are “a significant pot of untapped talent”, making up 20% of the industry’s workforce, what action it can take to help address this gender imbalance.
The answer
Supporting women to fulfil their potential in the labour market is a key aim of the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government continues to be in close engagement with both the oil and gas industry and the industry bodies on this important matter, as oil and gas is an industry which has many decades of opportunity ahead it, women have an crucial role to play in supporting the industry maximise its potential. We are already seeing women in highly prominent positions within the industry heading up key organisations such as Total, Statoil, Chevron, the Oil and Gas Technology Centre and the trade body Oil and Gas UK, can act as role models and provide inspiration to women, both across the industry and those women considering a career in this highly innovative industry, of what is possible.
We also recognise that STEM skills are in high demand in our economy, not least in the Oil and Gas industry. It is clear that high quality STEM education and training is vital to Scotland’s intellectual and economic future, and to a fairer society. Our draft STEM Strategy set out our aim to raise levels of STEM enthusiasm, skills and knowledge for all, and to encourage the uptake of more specialist STEM skills required to gain employment in STEM sectors.
Equity is one of the priority themes within the Strategy, and we want to take action to reduce equity gaps including in relation to gender. We want to see more diversity across STEM courses, qualifications and careers. We have consulted on the draft Strategy, which included holding an event in partnership with Equate Scotland to consider new, creative ideas on how we might tackle gender balance issues in STEM. We will be publishing a final version of the Strategy later this year, with associated actions. On gender, we will build on on-going work, such as support for the Institute of Physics project on tackling gender stereotypes in schools.
We are continuing to support STEM learning in schools, providing £855K of funding in 2016-17 to the Scottish Schools Education Research Centre to up-skill primary teacher and teachers of secondary science, and offering professional development in mathematics and numeracy through the National Numeracy and Mathematics Hub. Learning in the STEM subjects can also be greatly enriched by the contribution of partners – there are huge opportunities for greater collaboration between schools, further and higher education, and the oil and gas industry. The Developing the Young Workforce programme, which specifically includes a focus on STEM, is helping to develop these types of partnerships, and the draft STEM Strategy also highlights the value of this type of collaboration.
We also recognise that STEM skills are in high demand in our economy, not least in the Oil and Gas industry. It is clear that high quality STEM education and training is vital to Scotland’s intellectual and economic future, and to a fairer society. Our draft STEM Strategy set out our aim to raise levels of STEM enthusiasm, skills and knowledge for all, and to encourage the uptake of more specialist STEM skills required to gain employment in STEM sectors.
Equity is one of the priority themes within the Strategy, and we want to take action to reduce equity gaps including in relation to gender. We want to see more diversity across STEM courses, qualifications and careers. We have consulted on the draft Strategy, which included holding an event in partnership with Equate Scotland to consider new, creative ideas on how we might tackle gender balance issues in STEM. We will be publishing a final version of the Strategy later this year, with associated actions. On gender, we will build on on-going work, such as support for the Institute of Physics project on tackling gender stereotypes in schools.
We are continuing to support STEM learning in schools, providing £855K of funding in 2016-17 to the Scottish Schools Education Research Centre to up-skill primary teacher and teachers of secondary science, and offering professional development in mathematics and numeracy through the National Numeracy and Mathematics Hub. Learning in the STEM subjects can also be greatly enriched by the contribution of partners – there are huge opportunities for greater collaboration between schools, further and higher education, and the oil and gas industry. The Developing the Young Workforce programme, which specifically includes a focus on STEM, is helping to develop these types of partnerships, and the draft STEM Strategy also highlights the value of this type of collaboration.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S5W-08142 by reference.