IN an increasingly global economy, skilled people are a key commodity, fundamental to innovation and competitiveness and the number one resource for vibrant, productive regions.
The Hunter has a reputation as an industrial giant in traditional industries and an economic powerhouse in the national economy.
Industries like steel making, coal mining, ship-building and power generation historically employed large numbers of the region’s workforce in trade-focused jobs.
However, the Hunter is reflecting an international shift away from traditional industries and is seeing an increase in more technically advanced jobs, automation, systems integration, mechatronics and smart processes.
As industry evolves and processes are refined, the region’s jobs and the skills required also evolve.
Jobs for the future are growing at seven times the rate of traditional industries. They are increasingly more technical, smart and have a basis in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
As the Hunter’s principal economic development organisation, RDA Hunter identified that with the shift towards a knowledge based global economy and advanced processing, STEM qualifications are critical for the workforce of the future and an entrepreneurial culture.
Educating young people – our future workforce – is the logical place to start and the ‘‘ME’’ Program was our solution.
Having a ready workforce that is smarter than other regions puts the Hunter in the box seat for growth and prosperity in future.
Historically, the Hunter underperformed in STEM with the uptake of science and maths-based subjects in the region’s high schools below the state average.
However, since the introduction of the ME Program in 2010, the Hunter has seen subject participation increase, results improve and STEM subjects become a first choice for students and the Hunter is now above the state average.
The ME Program is an industry led, STEM-focused, skills and workforce development program.
It links industry with schools to make senior school STEM curriculum interesting and workplace-relevant and provides industry with qualified, motivated and career aware candidates.
The ME Program has made the Hunter smarter.
Just as RDA Hunter responded to industry’s need for STEM-qualified senior school students, we are now addressing the international trend to spark an interest in STEM much earlier – the Mini ME Program is the vehicle through which we are doing that.
The aim of Mini ME remains the same as ME – getting kids interested in STEM.
Even though the problems being solved by students are less complex, they are still real-life problems from real-life industry that teach kids that science, technology, engineering and maths solve real problems.
The Hunter is now ahead of the game, upskilling and preparing a STEM-qualified labour force.
So, what’s next for our smart region? RDA Hunter is now working with the federal government on a P-Tech school in the Hunter.
P-Tech is about collaboration between a school and industry that are linked. It provides an industry-supported pathway for young people that strengthens work prospects.
The program incorporates innovative curriculum, industry partnerships and links to work partners.
This is an excerpt from our full article. View the article https://rdahunter.org.au/news-events/the-hunter-australias-smart-region
View the Newcastle Herald article http://www.theherald.com.au/story/3512342/todd-williams-stem-smart-labours-the-future/?cs=4200