In an increasingly globalised economy, skilled people are a key commodity, fundamental to innovation and competitiveness and are the number one resource for vibrant regions being productive.

The Hunter has a reputation as an industrial giant in traditional industries and is an economic powerhouse in the Australian economy. Industries like steel making, coal mining, ship building and power generation have historically employed large numbers of the region’s workforce in trade focused jobs.

However, the Hunter is reflecting the 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 to perform them also evolve.

The 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 in Australia puts the Hunter in the box seat for growth and prosperity into the future.

Historically, the Hunter has 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 NSW 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.

Statistics released recently by PwC show that a shift of just 1% of Australia’s workforce into STEM roles increases GDP by as much as $57.4 billion (net present value over 20 years).

When applied to the outcomes of the ME Program to date, this forecasting model suggests that the increase in the uptake of STEM of between 2.5% and 5% delivered by the Program will lead to an equivalent increase in STEM jobs in the region. Based on the Hunter’s contribution to GDP, our economy will be boosted by between $10 billion and $15 billion (over 20 years).

Partnering the majority of the Hunter’s high schools with the region’s large industries and SMEs, more than 10,000 Hunter school students have participated in the Program since 2010. The results speak for themselves,

• 17% of ME Program students now select HSC Physics compared with the NSW Average of 14%
• In NSW 12% of HSC Physics students will drop the subject before Year 12, in ME schools this rate is just 6%
• ME Program schools are now three times more likely to complete HSC Engineering Studies compared to the NSW average
• 14% of ME Program students will select Metals and Engineering Certificate II for
their HSC compared with the state average of 3%
• ME Program partner school, St Philips Christian College has seen a 66% increase in the uptake of STEM subjects in senior school from 2015 to 2016

High endorsement, too, is the ‘sampling’ of some of the Program’s content by schools across the state.

Part of the ME Program is iSTEM – a state-of-the-art senior school subject that embeds mechatronics, aerodynamics, engineering, 3D CAD/CAM and motion modules to contextualise learning for students and teachers. It presents maths and sciences to students in a hands-on and interesting way and is key to the Program’s outstanding results.

iSTEM was created in the Hunter Region in direct response to industry’s urgent demand for young people qualified in STEM and has been so successful that it will be rolled out to senior school students in more than 60 NSW schools in 2016.

The Living Toolkit is another element of the ME Program. It helps upskill teachers on 21st century technology and provides resources and teaching aids to assist in making STEM relevant. It continues to grow as more schools become involved in the Program and teachers see the benefit of learning from one another as well as the difference contextualised content makes to students’ learning outcomes.

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 – and the Mini ME Program is the vehicle through which we are doing that.

The Mini ME Program is exactly as it sounds – an adaptation of the ME Program aimed specifically at primary school students as young as eight years old.

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 to secure a P-Tech school in the Hunter.

P-Tech is about collaboration between a school and industry that are specifically linked. It provides an industry supported pathway for young people that strengthens their employment prospects. The program incorporates innovative curriculum, industry partnerships, and links to employment partners.

A smart region is an entrepreneurial region. Teaching kids to think laterally and problem solve using STEM prepares them for the future – for the jobs that technological advancement and innovation will create. The Hunter is smart.

RDA Hunter will continue to lead economic development initiatives that build our competitive advantage and reputation as Australia’s smartest region.