The Importance of a STEM Education

The situation on the labor market is well known: programmers, those with degrees in computer science or in technical fields are in high demand. According to the Austrian Employment Service, persons with STEM degrees – science, technology, engineering and mathematics - on average find a job within three months and are facing excellent career prospects and income levels. At the same time, there are not enough graduates in these fields to satisfy demand, not just in Austria, but also internationally.

Though the United States has historically been a leader in these fields, fewer students have been focusing on these topics recently.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, only 16 percent of high school students are interested in a STEM career and have proven a proficiency in mathematics. Currently, nearly 28 percent of high school freshmen declare an interest in a STEM-related field, a department website says, but 57 percent of these students will lose interest by the time they graduate from high school. Initiatives to combat this trend were initiated during the Obama Administration.

In Austria, too, several efforts are under way to increase young people’s interest in STEM. “You have to start early,” explains the Austrian Federal Minister for Education, Science and Research Heinz Faßmann, “children are naturally born researchers and explorers. Exactly this curiosity, specifically in the natural sciences, has to be nurtured and expanded.” Countless initiatives were brought to life over the past years. During summer, universities open their doors for children, research institutions invite young girls on Girls Day to learn about technical professions, and many nurseries (Kindergarten) now provide research corners in addition to the traditional dolls and building blocks.

The Austrian education system has always offered a technical track in secondary education in addition to the general school system: at the age of 14, students have the opportunity to attend a vocational training school and earn a high school diploma that qualifies them to attend a university on one hand, and specific job training to practice a professional trade on the other. Such offerings are constantly being expanded, specifically in the areas of information technology and STEM subjects.

One such school is the Commercial Academy Digital Business, which prepares its graduates for future-oriented professions in a digital world that require high competence in business, as well as in technology. Particular focus lies on the safe handling and the development of information technology. New media like internet technologies, web sites, social media, video- and sound production, or software development and network technology are all central to the program, as are e-commerce, digital marketing, business administration, accounting, and also government and law. The academy thus delivers a secondary education combining information technology and business that is unique in Austria.

New measures were introduced at the university level as well, and the number of STEM – related courses of study was increased: During the past academic year, computer science ranked in the top three most popular fields of study. In addition, ground was broken on a new university that will focus exclusively on computer science and technology.

Girls wanted!

Girls and women continue to be under-represented in technical professions. Only about 20% of students in a technical secondary school are girls. Why is that the case? „I think it is connected to how we look at professions. Mechanical engineers are equated with locksmiths, electrical engineering with electricians. In that context, many think of a male doing a physically demanding and dirty job. However, this has little to do with today’s job descriptions. Removing these stereotypes from our minds is a very lengthy process,“ explains Sabine Seidler, the Rector of the Vienna Technical University. The Austrian Federal Government acts in this area as well, the goal is a five percent increase of the number of girls over the next three years.