Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues on establishing a campaign similar to the 2018 Year of Engineering to encourage young people into careers in STEM subjects.

We are committed to encouraging young people to consider STEM careers and wish to explore how we can build on the success of the 2018 Year of Engineering campaign. Current BEIS programmes to inspire young people to take up STEM study or go into STEM careers include STEM Ambassadors and the CREST Awards.

STEM Ambassadors has a UK-wide network of over 30,000 volunteers (40% of whom are women) from a wide range of employers who engage with young people to increase their interest in STEM studies and careers. CREST Awards are the UK’s largest national award scheme for project work in STEM subjects. Evaluation has shown participation has a positive effect on STEM GCSE results. Over 30,000 young people aged 11 to 18 receive a CREST Award each year.