Science Skills Gap in Australia
The report “Readiness to meet the demand for skills: a study of five growth industries” indicates that the skills gap in the Australian science sector has been widening. The study points out some reasons of this situation:
- Women don’t see themselves as students or workers in male-dominated industries. This gender gap decreases the number of students getting prepared for work in the life science sector.
- 75% of the fastest growing occupations need STEM expertise. As a result, the demand for workers is constantly increasing.
- STEM skills professionals need a growth mindset with workers getting training throughout their careers. Such upskilling should be supported by the workplace. This isn’t the industry’s reality today.
- Fresh graduates who are about to join the market are often not job ready in the opinion of employers.
- In certain parts of the science industry inexperienced graduates may struggle with finding their first job due to the lack of experience. This is particularly true for biotechnology.
- Finding professionals at senior level specialising in biotechnology and pharmaceutics is particularly challenging.