INVEST-STEM: Investigating STEM Readiness , Inclusion, and Economic Returns.

STEM（科学、技术、工程和数学）对英国作为科学强国的地位至关重要。它有助于创新和经济增长，并为社会提供关键技能。确保各类人才源源不断地从学校流向18岁以后的STEM教育并进入职业生涯是至关重要的。相反，大多数STEM毕业生从未从事过高技能的STEM工作。该项目通过对LEO数据库的严格检查，率先追求通过大学获得高技能STEM职业的包容性途径。尽管在各种举措上投入了大量资金，但在扩大STEM教育和职业机会给代表性不足的群体（包括女性、一些少数民族和低收入背景）方面取得的进展仍然参差不齐。STEM职业的包容性差距通过每个过渡阶段（学校、大学、职业）的“泄漏”而积累。这项工作的核心是了解谁最终会在职业生涯的早期从事STEM工作。这需要评估通往STEM职业的包容性途径，并审查不同群体在攻读STEM学位时所期望的经济回报。为了实现这些目标，该项目将提问和回答：谁“准备好”进入STEM大学学习？谁选择并完成STEM学位？毕业后谁会进入STEM行业？在职业生涯早期获得本科STEM学位的经济回报是什么？在此过程中，该项目试图确定不同背景的个人在从学校到大学再到工作的每个关键时刻离开STEM道路的倾向是如何变化的，以及经济激励如何维持STEM。潜在的好处是巨大的。研究结果可以为有针对性的政策干预提供信息，以促进包容性STEM教育和职业发展。他们可以授权教育机构制定战略，成功地参与和保留STEM。最后，它们拓宽了我们对职业道路的理解，并为那些考虑选择其他道路的人提供了指导。可交付成果包括政策简报、学术讨论文件、与利益相关者和资助者的互动活动，这些活动有望为塑造包容性STEM路径提供有影响力的见解。从本质上讲，该项目旨在支持包容和平等的STEM学习机会。通过揭示STEM轨迹的细微差别，它寻求释放能够为创新和英国长期经济繁荣做出贡献的人才。

STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is central to the UK's position as a science powerhouse. It contributes to innovation and economic growth and provides critical skills for society. Ensuring a continuous flow of diverse talent from schools to post-18 STEM education and into careers is paramount. Instead, most STEM graduates never work in high-skill STEM jobs. This project spearheads the pursuit of inclusive pathways to high-skill STEM careers via university through a rigorous examination of the LEO database.Despite significant investment in various initiatives, progress in widening access to STEM education and professions to underrepresented groups, including women, some ethnic minorities, and low-income backgrounds, remains mixed. Inclusion gaps in STEM careers accumulate through 'leaks' at each transition phase (school, university, career).At its core, this undertaking is about understanding who ends up in STEM jobs in their early career. This requires assessing inclusive pathways towards STEM careers and reviewing the economic returns different groups can expect when pursuing STEM degrees. To meet these objectives, the project will ask and answer:Who is 'ready' for STEM university studies?Who chooses and completes STEM degrees?Who ends up in STEM industries upon graduation?What are the economic returns related to an undergraduate STEM degree in early career?In doing so, the project seeks to identify how the propensity to leave STEM pathways varies between individuals from diverse backgrounds at each juncture from school to university to work and how the economic incentives hold up to remain in STEM.The potential benefits are substantial. Findings can inform targeted policy interventions to bolster inclusive STEM education and careers. They can empower education institutions to develop strategies for successful STEM engagement and retention. Finally, they broaden our understanding of career pathways and provide guidance for those considering alternative routes.Deliverables encompass policy briefs, academic discussion papers, engagement events with stakeholders and the funder promising impactful insights for shaping inclusive STEM pathways.In essence, this project aims to support inclusive and equitable opportunities to pursue STEM. By uncovering the nuances of STEM trajectories, it seeks to unlock talent that can contribute to innovation and the UK's long-term economic prosperity.