• Transition year students are working on site with Pfizer, Lilly, Johnson & Johnson and others to develop key skills
• Industry believe the initiative is key to changing the numbers participating in STEM, and ultimately the talent pipeline

Ireland’s leading biopharmaceutical and life science companies have joined forces with three Cork schools in a bid to tackle Ireland’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) skills shortage. Transition year (TY) students from Carrigaline Community School, Kinsale Community School and Christ King Secondary School – are taking part in the STEM TY Challenge, an initiative which aims to increase interest in – and experience of – STEM amongst young students and in doing so, improve the numbers of young Irish people pursuing careers in Ireland’s STEM sector.

The initiative is being piloted by top Irish pharmaceuticals Pfizer, Lilly, Janssen, DePuy Synthes, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Hovione. These companies, who are all based in Cork, have given 24 of the TY students the opportunity to complete a mentorship with them. The students, who are working with industry mentors, are currently nearing completion of the programme.

The impetus for this initiative is three-fold: to deal with the myths surrounding STEM, to showcase the breath of the opportunity that is in STEM and STEM careers in the region, and to generate a pipeline of talent for companies in Cork region – and beyond; said Marguerite O Sullivan, Director of Learning and Development at Johnson & Johnson and chair of STEM South West. The results to date are very encouraging – the students involved have learned an incredible amount from the initiative and developed key skills which will stand to them, and their employers, in the future.

The initiative is hoping to improve the uptake of study and careers in the STEM sector in Cork and across Ireland. The Cork-based consortium involved in the initiative believe that the region’s future economic performance depends, in part, on the pursuit of STEM careers by students. These concerns laid the foundations for the STEM TY Challenge.

As advocates of STEM and working in STEM roles in Pfizer, we see this opportunity to provide a greater understanding of STEM to TY students as an invaluable experience which we would have loved to have been involved in during our time at school. As past pupils of the school to which we are mentors, we can see how beneficial this experience would have been during our time spent in TY and we hope to see some of the mentees working in the biopharmaceutical industry in the future say Keeva McCarthy and Aoife Dunlea, of Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals, Ringaskiddy about the STEM TY Challenge.

The Cork TY students will soon be taking part in an exhibition in Munster Technological University (MTU) where they will outline what they have learned so far on the initiative. An important aspect of this exhibition – which will be in the MTU on Friday November 11 – is that it will be made to the students’ peers, as well as to industry and education players.

Norma Kelly, Senior Process Chemistry Manager from Thermo Fisher Scientific, and a key backer of the STEM TY Challenge, explained why the exhibition is being made open to the students’ peers:

We are keen to increase the appeal of STEM careers to young people. The huge influence friends have on the career choice of students was evident in a government-commissioned report. The report – by the economic consultants, Indecon – found that students consult friends when deciding what career path to pursue in life. This is why we believe it will be beneficial for the students involved in the initiative to be able to showcase what they have learned to their peers. She added, As well as gaining an understanding of the breadth of career opportunities in STEM, the students have also built their communication, problem solving and creativity skills – skills that employers are looking for in candidates.

If you know a school or employer who would like to participate, or attend the MTU Event, visit https://www.stemsouthwest.ie/stem-ty-challenge

Notes

The event is being organised by the industry-led STEM cluster focusing on the Cork Region. It was recently established in the region to nurture and promote the STEM sector. The cluster Executive Committee, comprising members from industry (DePuy Synthes, Janssen, Lilly, Pfizer, Hovione and Thermo Fisher), schools (Carrigaline Community School, Kinsale Community School and Christ King), third level institution (MTU), the not-for-profit sector (STEM South West), is working in collaboration with 14 mentors and 24 students to identify and address problems facing the STEM sector in the region  in the context of increased global uncertainty, future proofing the economy and technological disruption. 

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