The Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review’s final report has been released and outlines steps to fostering long-term change.
Achieving a greater level of diversity and inclusion in engineering and related fields is achievable but will take hard work, according to the panel chair of the Pathway to Diversity in STEM Review.
The panel has published a final report, which runs to almost 150 pages, outlining 11 recommendations for the Australian government to commit to ambitious and strategic action in support of diversity in STEM.
In the eyes of Chair Sally-Ann Williams, who is also CEO of startup incubator Cicada Innovations, the report goes to this level of detail because improving diversity is not a one-and-done exercise.
“The key thing to recognise is that this requires consistency and effort over time,” she told create. “Obtaining greater diversity and inclusion in STEM workforces, including engineering workforces, is a systemic issue.
“We need to ensure that the government, industry and community coordinate their efforts at all stages of the pipeline. We need long-term thinking and long-term effort applied to resolve the challenge.”
Head to the bottom of the page to browse the 11 recommendations, and read the full report here.
Williams encourages engineering companies in particular to take a comprehensive look at any structural barriers evident in their organisation — barriers which could prohibit a wider variety of perspectives and personnel — and remove them.
“Then go the extra mile and set some real targets,” she said.
Time for change
Engineers Australia welcomes the report and urges the government to adopt the recommendations and the Diversity in STEM Program Strategy.
Engineers Australia CEO Romilly Madew AO FTSE HonFIEAust EngExec called for employers to act with urgency.
“In Australia, we are suffering a severe lack of diversity in engineering,” she said. “Just 14 per cent of working engineers in Australia are women [for example]. If we look down the pipeline, things do not improve — of our engineering graduates, just 19 per cent are women.
“The decline in uptake of maths and science subjects in school, and declining commencements in engineering studies in the past decade, are concerning signs for Australia’s engineering workforce pipeline.
“We need to elevate the “E” in STEM, because engineering has a unique place in the national agenda.”
The report mentions Engineers Australia’s Global Engineering talent program, which aims to boost the involvement of migrant engineers in the Australian workforce.
“This program has the potential to meet the skilled workforce needs of Australian businesses, support infrastructure and energy transition efforts, and assist migrant engineers in finding roles commensurate with their skills,” Madew explained.
Diversity of experience
So who does the discussion about diversity in STEM encompass?
“People from diverse cohorts face additional and often intersecting barriers,” Williams explained. “It’s quite rare that somebody is only representative of one cohort.
“This includes aspects such as where someone lives, their socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, race, culture, and physical or cognitive ability. When we think about intersectionality, it’s about being cognisant of barriers that will prevent us from having the greatest participation in our workforce.
“There is a richness that we miss out on when we don’t think about solutions to increase participation in STEM.”
Bringing together individuals from disparate backgrounds, therefore, lends greater diversity of perspective, skills and experience to a given role, and thereby enhances outcomes.
But the onus must be on organisations and governments to prove their commitment by taking action, Williams stressed.
“Rather than putting an additional burden on underrepresented people to solve the problem, I would suggest that companies are responsible for addressing the problem and addressing it structurally,” she said. “It’s an opportunity for whoever is leading the organisation to hold a mirror up and ask themselves what they are doing to remove barriers and change the system to make it more inclusive for diverse populations.”
Williams has “great hope” the future looks markedly different from the current reality.
“There’s a shared excitement about the critical role that science, technology, engineering and mathematics have in solving some of the world’s biggest problems,” she said. “And there’s a belief that Australia can lean into this and become an economy fuelled by STEM companies.”
List of recommendations
The Australian Government committing to a whole-of-government, long-term strategy to increase diversity and inclusion in STEM. This includes establishing a dedicated advisory council supported by dedicated government resources.
The Australian Government establishing a suite of diversity in STEM programs, as detailed in the Diversity in STEM Program Strategy in the final section of this report. This includes embedding best-practice program design elements across programs, making changes to the current Women in STEM program suite, and establishing new programs that address barriers for underrepresented cohorts.
Every Australian organisation employing STEM workers committing to the elimination of bullying, harassment and discrimination, including racism.
Every Australian organisation employing STEM workers adopting, making public, and implementing, a plan to increase attraction, retention and promotion of underrepresented cohorts.
The Australian Government making Australian STEM workplaces safer, more diverse and inclusive by changing grant and procurement processes for STEM-related programs. This includes providing guidance to help organisations implement the recommendations in this report, and examining the need for further changes, such as legislation or changes to other financial arrangements.
The Australian Government including a focus on STEM in implementing any strategies in response to the 2023 Review of the Migration System.
The Australian Government working with states and territories to improve participation and achievement in STEM skills and subjects in schools.
The Australian Government preparing and supporting educators to teach STEM in a way that is responsive to the needs of diverse cohorts.
The Australian Government working with states and territories to ensure that national tertiary education reforms increase access, participation and attainment of underrepresented cohorts in STEM education.
The Australian Government preferencing First Nations scientists and researchers applying for government funding for projects that affect or draw from First Nations Knowledges and knowledge systems, and working with First Nations Communities to develop further ways to elevate First Nations Knowledges. The Learned Academies working with the academic community and Traditional Knowledge holders to build respect, awareness and better practices to weave First Nations Knowledges into science and research systems.
The Australian Government developing a communication and outreach strategy to increase awareness, visibility and importance of diversity in STEM to emphasise the opportunities and potential for careers in STEM.
Greater participation in STEM will take collective effort. Experience new ways to change the world at a World Engineering Day networking event in a city near you.