Raising talent aspirations at the Morson STEM Changemakers Summit

We all know there is a skills gap in STEM disciplines and engineering. The question is, what can industrial companies and the recruitment sector do about it?

Last week, Morson gathered together talented and passionate individuals to discuss answers to that question at our inaugural STEM Summit – with delegates from a wide range of our clients able to pose their questions to experts, take home insights from our speakers and network with peers. It was a truly inspirational day that highlighted the huge potential to unlock talent not only amongst the children and young people who will be our future talent pools, but also amongst those with the potential to retrain or repurpose their existing skills.

Held at the Morson Maker Space, the hands-on education environment funded by Morson at the University of Salford, the event centred around one core concept: if we want to see a change in the availability of STEM talent, we have to make that change happen. At the heart of the event were the Change Maker pledges we asked delegates to sign up to, and it was so encouraging to feel the buzz in the room thanks to the knowledge sharing, personal testimonies and expertise of both speakers and delegates. In part one of our review of the day, we share some of the highlights of the panel debates from the day. Keep an eye out for part 2 next week, which will share some of the insights from our speakers.

Following a fun and engaging introduction to the day from our MC, magician and comedian Ben Hanlin, our Group CEO, Ged Mason, introduced the purpose and vision for the STEM summit, highlighting the ever-shifting nature of STEM talent needs. He reiterated our commitment to making a difference with initiatives such as the Morson Maker Space, the Gerry Mason Scholarships, our involvement with IntoUniversity and our Pathfinders Tech Academy – all initiatives that create opportunity for individuals whose potential might not otherwise be realised while contributing to a more diverse talent pool. Ged’s words about collaboration, mentoring and shaping the curriculum to meet the current and future needs of industry resonated with the audience, but, as he said - quoting his father and Morson’s founder Gerry Mason - ‘there is no finishing line’ and the STEM Summit was all about exploring what more can be done.

STEM by Stealth

Following Ged’s introduction, the first panel discussion focused on the role of education in growing STEM talent and the challenges and opportunities involved. Panellists Dr Maria Stukoff, Director of the Morson Maker Space at the University of Salford, Susan Scurlock MBE from Primary Engineer, and Rishi Jindal from IntoUniversity discussed the importance of sustained STEM content throughout the curriculum to encourage children to engage with STEM subjects from as young as three. Indeed, Susan Scurlock advised that engagement with STEM should begin ‘as soon as they can talk’, pointing out that engineering is creative problem solving, and it is the very youngest who have no barriers to creativity, with young children simply expecting tech to work. She shared with delegates a phrase a student had coined when commenting on how they had experienced STEM learning in new and creative ways, with ‘STEM by stealth’ representing the goal of ensuring that STEM is embedded in learning across the education spectrum and curriculum in a way that taps into children’s natural curiosity and enables them to learn STEM disciplines without even realising it.

The panel also discussed the challenges of unlocking hard-to-reach talent, in particular those from underprivileged backgrounds where lack of opportunity and aspiration may be obstacles to engagement and achievement. It was fantastic to hear about the work being done by all three organisations to overcome those issues, as well as hearing about the inroads being made to attract more women and girls into STEM disciplines and careers. The panel discussion touched on a theme that recurred throughout the day – ‘if you can see it, you can be it’ – highlighting the importance of site visits, work experience, mentoring and collaboration between businesses and education providers in inspiring the next generation.

Closing the skills gap

Following a short break, the second panel discussion involved Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett, Talent Solutions Director at RPO1 powered by Morson, Sam Price, and Morson’s Group Training Director, Matt Leavis, and focused on the skills gap. Matt Leavis shared the progress we have been making in unlocking talent, including ex-service personnel, work returners and ‘third-age’ mature candidates through our Pathfinders Tech Academy, explaining how this initiative identifies skills shortages and reverse engineers that need to develop targeted training programmes. He also highlighted our success in recruiting for apprenticeships and traineeships by appealing to people who may not have had a positive experience of traditional education but thrive in a kinaesthetic learning environment.

Responding to questions from delegates, Sam Price outlined the importance of purpose and company culture in attracting a diverse workforce and appealing to Gen Z, but also discussed the need to appeal to an ever-widening demographic and to recruit for stretch, investing in employees’ long-term potential rather than expecting an ideal candidate for every role. The discussion raised interesting points around candidate selection based on attributes and ability, and the benefits of developing skills and knowledge tailored to specific commercial needs as a sustained and continuous process throughout an employee’s career. The panel also considered the issue of an ageing skills base and the need to benefit from their knowledge before they retire by encouraging them to remain in mentoring roles and motivating them to be part of a skills legacy.

This panel also considered the challenges of attracting people into engineering roles, and in particular diversifying the STEM workforce. Sam Price pointed out the importance of reviewing the recruitment process end-to-end and developing different processes in order to access a wider pool of talent. The theme of ‘if you can see it, you can be it’ was raised again, with Sam pointing out that more diverse role models are not off-putting to existing employees but are central to attracting more diversity.

More to come

The lunch break provided an opportunity for networking and tours of the Morson Maker Space – along with a cornet from the ice cream van for refreshments on a very hot and sunny day! We’ll give you the low-down on guest speakers aerospace engineering graduate and Miss England, Jess Gagen, Countdown maths whizz, Rachel Riley, and Rolls Royce SMR Talent & HR Director, Adam Ellis, in part 2.

Find our more about the Morson STEM Foundation here