- Government launches Future state, future skills: Accelerating STEM skills for Western Australia
- Mission update builds upon the first State STEM skills strategy released in 2019
- Future state, future skills strategyprovidesa targeted approach for the next five years
The Cook Government has launched a fresh approach on boosting STEM skills in Western Australia over the next five years with the release of an updated strategy.
Science Minister Stephen Dawson said the Future state, future skills: Accelerating STEM skills for Western Australia would provide a targeted approach to expanding STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) through the community.
Future state, future skills will focus on growing the success of STEM-related initiatives at various community, industry, research, and government levels over the next five years.
The strategy has three priority action areas:
- Career pathways and industry linkages: Showcasing priority and emerging STEM opportunities and fostering industry engagement to support education and training;
- Diversity and inclusion: Attracting and retaining under-represented groups in STEM, including women and girls, people from low socio-economic areas, people from regional and remote areas, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups; and
- STEM culture and literacy: Engaging the community to build positive attitudes towards STEM, awareness of STEM and foundational STEM literacy skills.
Future state, future skills has strong connections to the State Government’s economic framework Diversify WA, with all eight industry sectors supported with the provision of future STEM skills.
The mission update also aims to enhance industry involvement in the STEM education and skills pipeline, guiding from early childhood through school education to vocational education and training (VET) and university.
Since the release of the State STEM skills strategy in 2019, many Western Australians have embraced a range of STEM education and training opportunities.
Around 90 per cent of Year 12 students studied STEM subjects or STEM VET qualifications in 2023.
Enrolments in publicly-funded, post-school VET STEM courses in WA also increased by 46 per cent between 2018 and 2023, supported by fee free or low fee TAFE courses and skill sets.
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As stated by Science Minister Stephen Dawson:
“The Cook Government is focused on ensuring our local industries have the workforce they need to grow and innovate, and everyone can access future opportunities in STEM fields, regardless of gender and background.
“Current research shows around 1.5 million WA workers will require some form of reskilling over the coming years and our updated strategy Future State, future skills will enable this to occur.
“The updated STEM skills strategy will provide us with a targeted, evidence-based approach over the next five years to grow collaboration and impact across our STEM ecosystem.”
As stated by Education Minister Dr Tony Buti:
“Our Government is committed to ensure all the children and young people of Western Australia can achieve their full educational potential, regardless of background or where they live.
“Our educators inspire thousands of Western Australians to pursue STEM-related careers, enabling them to thrive in a future where technology and jobs will continually change.
“The new mission update will be an important tool in supporting our educators and preparing students with transferrable skills for the future challenges and technologies ahead.”
As stated by Training and Workforce Development Minister Simone McGurk:
“The Cook Government is investing significantly to upgrade our TAFE campuses, modernise equipment and reduce barriers to training so school leavers and people reskilling and upskilling are job-ready for the many opportunities on offer in STEM industries.
“We know STEM jobs are growing at twice the rate of other jobs and that’s why we’re working closely with industry to ensure we have a fit for purpose workforce.
“This mission update supports our essential training and workforce development strategies as we consider cutting edge technologies and the changing nature of work.”
As stated by the Chief Scientist of Western Australia Professor Peter Klinken AC
“WA is a global leader in research across agriculture, medicine, and resources, with cutting-edge advancements in automation, robotics, and remote operations.
“Science is critical to our State’s future prosperity and well-being with technologies and new energies profoundly changing our lives and workplaces.
“All Western Australians need to be prepared, and equipped, with the skills they need to ride the tsunami of change that’s coming.”
