CONTENTS
Terms of Reference
Summary
Chapter 1: Introduction
Definitions
Methodology
Structure of the report
Acknowledgements
Chapter 2: Definition of STEM
Box 1: JACS 3 listing of the highest-level Groups
Chapter 3: The School and Higher Education interface, and maths provision
The mathematical skills gap
Table 1: Students taking mathematics post-16 in 24 countries and states
A level course content and structure
Qualified teachers
Careers advice and education
Higher education maths requirements at university entry
Figure 1: Proportion of HE entrants by subject with or without A level maths, UK 2009
CHAPTER 4: Supply and demand in STEM Higher Education
Higher education and STEM
Previous reports
Qualifications in higher education
Figure 2: Qualifications in higher education
Trends
Figure 3: STEM qualifiers (UK and overseas) from HEIs
Figure 4: Number and proportion of UK domiciled qualifiers of some STEM subjects
Data
Lack of data on the supply and demand for STEM graduates and postgraduates
Supply and demand in undergraduate provision
STEM graduates in non-STEM employment
Are the best graduates attracted to STEM jobs?
The supply of the "soft" sciences
The role of Government and HEFCE in ensuring supply of STEM graduates and postgraduates meets demand in terms of quantity
Demand and supply in postgraduate provision
CHAPTER 5: Quality, standards and benchmarks
Definitions of quality and how it is measured
Definitions
Box 2: Measurements of quality
Employability skills
The measurement of quality
Quality assurance
The role of the QAA and of HEIs in driving up quality
Ensuring that standards and benchmarks address skills gaps in the economy
Funding to develop the employability skills of postgraduates
Quality of teaching
Box 3: The priorities of the Higher Education Academy
The role of students in driving up quality of provision
The Key Information Set (KIS)
Increasing employer involvement to ensure that graduates leave HEIs with the right employability skills
Accreditation
Kite-marking
Placements and internships for undergraduates and postgraduates
The role of the Research Councils and HEFCE in the quality assurance of postgraduate provision
Doctoral provision models
Chapter 6: Policy reforms
Student numbers in STEM
Control of student numbers
Funding STEM subjects
Capital funding
Longer undergraduate courses
Placements and sandwich courses
Conclusion
Immigration reforms
Number of STEM overseas students
Post study work route
Perception
Data
Classification of overseas students as migrants
Policy reforms and their compound effect on taught Masters provision
Higher fees and less public funding
Lack of student finance for Masters courses
Conclusion
Chapter 7: Conclusions and recommendations
Appendix 1: Members and declarations of interests
Appendix 2: List of witnesses
Appendix 3: Call for evidence
Appendix 4: Seminar held at the House of
Lords
Appendix 5: Abbreviations and acronyms
Appendix 6: Higher education statistics agency
data (HESA)
Appendix 7: JACS 3 Listing
Appendix 8: Joint statement by the Research
Councils
Appendix 9: Recent reports from the House
of Lords Science and Technology Committee
Evidence is published online at www.parliament.uk/hlscience
and available for inspection at the Parliamentary Archives (020
7219 5314).
References in footnotes to the Report are as follows:
Q refers to a question in oral evidence;
Witness names without a question reference refer
to written evidence.
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