• Some argue that employers’ problems in filling vacancies are related to the fact that young graduates are not prepared for the skills currently on demand. 
• Others believe the skills gap in the labour market is caused by structural economic shifts. These shifts have made the skills of individuals insufficient or irrelevant for the demands of the current markets.   

• Is there a STEM skills shortage in Europe? Analysing the evidence, and in
• Is there a STEM skills shortage in Europe? Challenging the evidence

 Module 1: STEM careers in schools and in the job market 

• Some argue that employers’ problems in filling vacancies are related to the fact that young graduates are not prepared for the skills currently on demand. 
• Others believe the skills gap in the labour market is caused by structural economic shifts. These shifts have made the skills of individuals insufficient or irrelevant for the demands of the current markets.   

• Is there a STEM skills shortage in Europe? Analysing the evidence, and in
• Is there a STEM skills shortage in Europe? Challenging the evidence

• Caprile, M., Palmen, R., Sanz, P. & Dente, G. (2015) Encouraging STEM Studies for the Labour Market. Directorate General for Internal Policies. European Parliament.
• European Commission (2015) Does the EU need more STEM graduates? Final Report. European Commission.

1. Awareness (students are aware and know the variety of STEM careers available),
2. Relevance (they see the connection between the subject they are studying and day to day life),
3. Engagement (students show direct interest and motivation to interact with the subject matter),
4. Self-efficacy (students are comfortable with using tools of science). 

1. Incorporate both formal and informal approaches: constantly bring career awareness in your activities and do not keep it as a separate unit.
2. Help students see scientists as real people: students may have difficulty imagining themselves as scientists because they cannot see that scientists have a normal life, just like them. They have hobbies, families and various interests. 
3. Connect the dots: it is not enough to just expose students to career information, the teacher also has to directly connect career information with whatever the student is learning at that moment. This can refer to making clear connections to the real-life use of subjects, to giving examples of how it connects to jobs of scientists. The student will not be always capable of making these connections themselves, and you will have to do that for him. 
4. Embed reflection: To make sure that information sticks with students, and embeds reflection to drive a deeper understanding. Otherwise, a lot of the information can be lost over time if reflection is not used to “glue” it. 

1. Understand which are the currently relevant STEM industries and what is the spectrum of jobs available in each of them; 
2. Explore and learn about different career pathways available to reach those careers;  

1. Become familiarized with a set of STEM hard skills on demand; 
2. Become familiarized with soft/transversal skills needed across all sectors/industries. 
3. Explore various tools for matching skills with career pathways.
   
   

1. An easy way to identify them is by linking STEM skills to qualifications attained in STEM subjects. For instance, Mathematics, Chemistry, Computer Science, Biology or Physics are easily classified as core STEM skills. However, it is not as easy as it seems, as the variety and type of qualifications vary from country to country, especially in tertiary education (EU Skills Panorama (2014) STEM skills Analytical Highlight, prepared by ICF and Cedefop for the European Commission). 

1. Another way of defining STEM skills is by linking them to STEM occupations. For instance, this study identified 30 STEM occupations (concerning those that most utilize STEM skills). The results ranged from mathematicians, chemists, civil engineers (among many kinds of engineers), to statisticians or agricultural technicians.

• Soft skills such as resilience, self-control and time management can be incorporated through pedagogical approaches like project-based learning and inquiry based science education (which will be further explained in the coming sections). 
• In general, group work activities are always an opportunity to integrate soft skills in the classroom. Problem solving tasks can be a chance for pupils to engage in social skills. The freedom of working in groups will help students to develop time-management and self-control abilities, emphasizing the notion of self-regulation and time-on-task. Last, working in small groups can also encourage quiet students to express their thoughts in a more comfortable manner. (Concordia University, 2016)
• Incorporating student self-assessment into lessons is another way to promote soft skills. While students can measure their knowledge attainment through tests, they do not always take time to reflect on their own work, on what is challenging them and in what areas are they succeeding. Having students review their own work will also help them develop resilience and add a goal setting approach to their educational experiences (Concordia University, 2016).

• Kahoot is a free game-based learning platform that helps educators create a collection of questions on specific topics while creating a game-like learning environment. Through this platform, you can create quizzes, discussion and surveys about any topic of your choice.
• Classflow is cloud-based platform that allows teachers to create interactive lessons in a single place, while (at the same time) pulling in resources from anywhere.
• PhET simulations are free, interactive, research-based science and mathematics simulations. These are written in Java, Flash or HTML5, and can be run online or downloaded from any computer. PhET is designed to encourage scientific inquiry and to provide interactivity among students.

1. Understand and learn what are the types of STEM careers activities available at school level and  how they can use them in the classroom;
2. Learn practical steps to introduce STEM career activities in the classroom;
3. Become familiarized with various experiences of STEM career activities implemented across several countries;