Engineering, as one of the subjects falling under STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths), is critical to business and industry as the economy needs people who can innovate to solve problems. Think of how many jobs use computers and even more rely on telephones, mobiles and other communication devices. Not just that, most of the things we use and consume every day are made in factories on machines highlighting just how important STEM subjects are.
Following a career in STEM needs to start early so to get students hyped up for that next maths or science test, we’ve engineered this fun quiz to test their existing knowledge of STEM and show them just how important it is.
Questions
[wp_quiz id=”13576″]
What do we take from the quiz? Briefly, that STEM is a fast growing sector, needing a highly-skilled, highly-educated workforce, where employees can earn significantly more than the average.
What the quiz outlines, however, is that women are significantly underrepresented in the sector. Why this is, is highly debated, but some believe that girls are discouraged from pursuing STEM subjects from an early age because of negative stereotypes, one, about their own abilities, and two, about the people who work in STEM careers, sometimes portrayed as ‘geeky loners’.
Whilst everyone would agree that this situation is restricting girls unnecessarily, many believe the status quo can be altered by introducing girls to STEM subjects earlier on in their education, enthusing them through experience and encouraging them to understand that everyone, even rocket scientists and brain surgeons, needs to practise to succeed.
Which is why we support “Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day” and other such STEM initiatives! We’re firmly behind it and have created a STEM Lesson Plan Pack to inspire girls and boys alike. Take a look too at our blog of 23rd January for some real-life inspiration!