With teachers and schools possessing limited and uneven resources, it is vital that we support each student to have greater access to quality learning. Two state-based initiatives work to support Victorian STEM education; the ten Tech Schools (with six more coming), and six Science and Mathematics Specialist Centres, each providing programs to support students and teachers across the state.

A student’s aspirations to engage with higher education are shaped by their access to economic and cultural resources, as well as experiences of success in education. These ‘economic’ resources are self-explanatory: more money, and everything that comes with it. However, the ‘cultural’ resources in the home and in the classroom are more complex.

Local secondary school students come year after year to participate in a program at Ballarat Tech School, where they design and produce their own local, sustainable, and ethical chocolate. The program has evolved since the Tech School opened in 2018, and more recent iterations combine indigenous bushfoods to create a more uniquely Australian alternative. 

Future careers will rely heavily on ‘21st century skills.’ To aim higher for science education, we require a multifaceted approach that addresses the diverse needs of students, integrates relevant content, and provides robust support for teachers. STEM can too often be perceived as “too difficult” or not interesting by students throughout their education.

Australia is in a STEM crisis. The low uptake of science and mathematics subjects by school students, and dwindling interest in STEM-related tertiary courses, has led to chronic shortages of skilled STEM professionals at a time when these subjects are playing greater roles in our lives, and economies. So what reforms are needed to build scientific competency at a tertiary level?