STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. More recently “A” has been added to the acronym to reflect the importance of “Art” in the STEM area, creating the STEAM acronym.

The STEM sector has been riding a seemingly endless wave of growth. As humankind continues to reach for the stars, the work undertaken in tech, research and design is expanding exponentially. This has led to the creation of new job types and also to immense skills gaps across the sector. Employer demand for STEM qualifications and skills is high and will continue to increase in the future.

STEM is more than just a group of subjects it more closely reflects a skills set. It uses logic to creatively solve problems.

With STEM skills, you can make a big contribution to many of the big challenges facing society today. From designing visual for a new film, to working as a physiotherapist in a hospital, to inventing a new hi-tech health scanner, to manufacturing a new mobile phone, to writing the code for a new software programme or putting new satellites into space, there are thousands of exciting and well-paid opportunities.

There are different routes into STEM careers at different educational levels, from level 5 and 6, through apprenticeships or from relevant degrees and master programmes.

STEM crosses all career sectors and nearly every job in the future will require STEM/STEAM skills. In this page we are bringing together information on some of the more obvious STEM sectors.