Optimising STEM Industry-School Partnerships: Inspiring Australia's Next Generation. Final Report

Overview & Synopsis

Australia's education system has served the nation well, but must continue to evolve to ensure competitiveness in a world racing towards the future. The report recommendations presented seek to optimise the ways industry partnerships can assist in the provision of contemporary, internationally competitive Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education in schools. The STEM Partnerships Forum has identified three major areas where industry-school partnerships should focus in order to have the greatest impact on the engagement and aspirations of young people in STEM areas: (1) teacher professional learning; (2) awareness of the opportunities for real world problems to be solved through STEM careers; and (3) improving understanding of the outcomes and impact of STEM partnerships. To support the work of the Forum, a series of consultations was undertaken across state and territory capital cities with experts from education and industry invited to respond to observations, provisional recommendations and questions. A total of 152 people attended 18 meetings over seven weeks. In addition to this, 53 written submissions were provided in response to the Forum's Issues Paper. The chapters presented in this report further explore the national and international trends in STEM education, describe how targeted action by industry, government and other stakeholders in these areas will lead to improved STEM outcomes for students, and provide practical advice on how to optimise existing and new industry-school partnerships. [This report was produced by Education Services Australia, on behalf of the Education Council.]