Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Women in STEM Apprenticeships

Wednesday 8 June 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister responded to questions about increasing women in STEM apprenticeships.
  • Minister expressed willingness to visit local businesses that enhance STEM opportunities for young people.
  • Minister defended the right to free speech regarding career choices in STEM.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Simon Fell
Education Science & Technology Women & Equalities
Context

The question arises from the need to increase women's participation in traditionally male-dominated fields such as STEM.

Question

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help increase the number of women in STEM apprenticeships?

Answer from Michelle Donelan

We are supporting more women to access traditionally male-dominated fields such as STEM—science, technology, engineering and mathematics—and those that offer the highest wage returns. Our apprenticeship diversity champion network is championing gender representation among employers and industries where improvement is needed, and we are promoting STEM apprenticeships to girls in schools.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps and commitments were not provided

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Q2 Simon Fell
Science & Technology Women & Equalities
Context

The MP highlights the progress made by BAE Systems and Oxley Developments in Barrow and Ulverston, respectively, in increasing female participation.

Question

Providing opportunities in STEM for women is essential, as is showing that there are already women in these roles doing the jobs that they aspire to. I would like to praise two local businesses that have worked tirelessly on this: BAE Systems in Barrow, responsible for our submarine programme, which has increased female participation in its early years programme from 19% to 32% in just five years; and Oxley Developments in Ulverston, which has a 50% female workforce. Clearly there is something going right in this cluster in south Cumbria. With that in mind, could I invite my right hon. Friend to come and visit?

Answer from Michelle Donelan

I would be delighted to take up the opportunity to visit my hon. Friend's constituency and hear more about the work that his local businesses are doing to enhance the opportunities of young people.

Not addressed: The question was not addressed; instead, an invitation to visit the constituency was accepted without addressing specific actions or policies.

How: Deflected To A Future Meeting

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Q3 Anneliese Dodds Labour (Co-op) Oxford East
Women & Equalities
Context

The Minister for Women and Equalities made a statement suggesting that girls do not tend to fancy physics due to the heavy math content, which implies a negative view of women's potential in STEM fields.

Question

The Minister for Women and Equalities has just lauded her Government's social mobility tsar. Does the Minister for Higher and Further Education agree with that tsar that “physics isn't something that girls tend to fancy…There's a lot of hard maths in there”? If not, will she condemn those remarks and others that put girls and women off careers in STEM because of, to use the words of the Minister for Women and Equalities, the “soft bigotry of low expectations”?

Answer from Michelle Donelan

Conservative Members believe in free speech and the right to have a view, but of course we want all people to aspire to go into their chosen careers, including in STEM.

Not addressed: The question was not addressed directly; instead, a broad statement about freedom of speech was made without condemning or agreeing with the specific remarks.

How: General Principle

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