Two of the focuses of my blog are Career Discussions and General Education. Many people get to a point where they want to change their career path. It’s a life altering decision with long-term ramifications that must be well thought out. The following contributed post is entitled, Four Questions To Ask Before Changing Your Career.
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Are you thinking about changing your career path and perhaps pursuing a new role in a completely different sector? Well, then these are the questions that you need to keep in mind. It will help ensure you make the right decision.
You might want to start by thinking about whether it’s time to cut ties with the job market completely. Instead, you can decide to go out on your own. If you do this – and it’s a big if – then there are benefits. Suddenly, you gain access to any and all your profits. You also don’t need to worry about someone constantly breathing down your neck. It’s an attractive option. However, you need to make sure that you are prepared for the risks. Don’t forget that most new businesses fail and the self-employed are looking at what could be a very risky future economy.
Are You More Stable Sticking With Your Current Position?
You might also want to think about whether it’s better to stand by your current position, whatever that may be. You should look at the economy and the job market right now. Perhaps your current sector or industry is stable. Better yet, it could be growing. If this is the case, then there is absolutely no point in switching gears right now. You have to think about your long term finances when you make a decision like this.
Is there Opportunities Available On The Market
It’s worth looking at the current options on the market. Are there sectors that are wide open? The easiest way to research this is to use a site like jobminister.ca. A tool like this provides you with an easy way to find out if employers are hiring in a particular industry or sector. There might be a talent crisis here and that’s always going to be great news. Or, at least it will be if you are in the right position to swoop in and claim one of the jobs that are currently up for grabs.
Do You Need To Learn New Skills?
That’s why the final question to consider is whether you are already in a situation where you are instantly hirable in a new sector or industry. It’s possible that you’re not and instead, you will need to think about signing up to learn the necessary skills and gain some additional knowledge. Luckily, you can do this online and you’ll be able to take a course in your spare time while you are completing your current job. So, you don’t have to worry about a window where you are learning new skills but not making any money. You can learn more about this possibility on studyonline.ca.
We hope this helps you determine whether switching careers right now is the correct move for you. Don’t forget, no one knows how hard the coronavirus is going to hit the economy. Regardless of whether the lockdowns and quarantines are lifted early or later on in the year, it could be a dicey road for the foreseeable future. So don’t make any rash decisions.
Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. A major part of business is the relationships. Forming relationships with partners is critical in forming lasting business partnerships. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Find Corporate Relationships That Will Last.
A business relationship is the same as a personal one – you want it to last a lifetime. However, living in consumerist bliss isn’t guaranteed. Similar to dating, you may find that they have small traits that mean you aren’t compatible. And, you may also pass these relationships off as experiences that you couldn’t control.
Before you move onto your next conquest, though, it’s essential to understand that your initial interactions impact how long your relationship will last. If you don’t spot the signs fast enough, it could be a whirlwind romance with the potential to be lucrative and drama-filled.
Here’s how to ensure you find the partners and clients you can trust for the long-term.
Match Personalities
A partnership is probably the most common example of a business relationship. Two people come together to use their different skills and characteristics to push the company forward. So, it’s tempting to assume that opposites attract, yet this isn’t the case. Sure, the way you operate should complement each other nicely. Still, you’ve got to like the person and be able to compromise. With that in mind, it’s vital to match your personalities to avoid small and regular conflicts from killing productivity levels.
Set Out Commitment Expectations
You and your partner, or an outsourcer who is taking care of a task, expect to share profits/be paid a lot of money. Of course, cash divides people, especially when one party isn’t putting in the same amount of effort. Therefore, it’s crucial to set out what you expect from each other before signing on the dotted line. It may be as basic as hours spent in the office, or it may include speaking to customers and boosting employee morale. Regardless, it’s worth considering as you don’t want feelings of bitterness to break up a happy couple.
Understanding the reasons why partners, clients, or anybody does what they do is essential. What makes them tick is going to affect everything from their commitment to how much money they are willing to pump into the organization. In a world where consumers are driven by morality, it’s particularly important to touch base with suppliers. Part of the supply chain, such as natural stone sustainability, will especially impact construction companies if buyers realize that the goods aren’t sourced properly. The same goes for any enterprise whose shoppers take the environment seriously.
Have An Exit Plan
Sadly, relationships aren’t meant to last, even if you love the person and want to stay with them forever. In this scenario, an exit strategy is imperative as it provides a level of flexibility. After all, the scope for growth may suddenly come to an end, in which case you must switch up suppliers. Otherwise, the business will suffer and potentially tank. As a result, you should consider running a trial period and only signing a short or medium-term agreement. Then, you aren’t tied down if the relationship goes south.
Do your business relationships last? What’s your secret?
Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. Most organizations or companies use some form of printing and much of what’s printed ends up getting wasted. Slashing this wastage can save dollars and likewise increase your business’s bottom line. The following contributed post is entitled, $23bn Is Wasted On Printing Each Year: Here’s How To Slash Your Wastage.
$23 is a vast number. 1% of the figure would be enough to keep the doors of your business open for a couple of years. What’s shocking is that this amount of money is wasted annually. Even worse is the fact that it comes from a single source – printing. No wonder companies are trying to go paperless! Of course, completely eradicating the need for a printer takes time and costs money, resources that you might not have currently. If you are wondering how to slash your wastage and not fall into the unnecessary-paper-wastage-bracket, there is good news because you do have options.
Here they are.
Invest In Managed Services
If you’re trying to anticipate how to move forward, the best answer is to invest in managed printing solutions. On http://www.cdsla.com/solutions/managed-print-services/, there is a figure that states up to 3% of a company’s budget is spent on paper. Https://www.imageoneway.com/ goes one step further and says that managed services can reduce expenses by 30%. Okay, these figures are averaged out, and the amount you spend or save might not be as high. Still, a 30% reduction is a massive amount, regardless of your budget. It’s a no-brainer, especially when the money will help the business grow and strengthen.
Lease Your Hardware
A printer is so accessible today that it makes no sense to spend cash on hiring one. On the face of things, it appears more expensive and a more frivolous waste of company resources. However, delve deeper, and you’ll find the problems that add to the huge amounts spent on printing. From maintenance issues to inefficiency, old hardware is extremely costly. Therefore, leasing a new model will slash the fees involved in printing as it will break down less and won’t require as much repairing.
Documents with color are attractive and stand out better than black and white ones. As a result, it’s tempting to use colored ink for everything that you print out in the office. Sadly, there are no real benefits to using this type of ink. Yes, it is good-looking, but the amount it costs to buy should restrict the need to create beautiful documents. https://www.npr.org/ points out that printer ink is as expensive as bubbly at $4,731 per gallon. Black and white printing facilities are as effective and far cheaper, which is why it’s worth going back in time.
Apply Basic Settings
Would you let employees loose on a company car without going over the rules first? Nope. So, why do you allow workers to mess around with the settings on the printer? As you now know, they have the potential to cost the business a considerable sum. With that in mind, it’s wise to set up the printer and restrict access. By using this method, you can encourage colleagues to use digital folders to send copies rather than using hard copies.
How much do you spend on unnecessary printing annually? If you’re unsure, it could be time to investigate.
A key focus of my blog is Health/Wellness. Maintaining your mental health is critical, arguably more so than maintaining your physical health. Most people don’t think about it though or know how to do it. The following contributed post is entitled, 3 Great Resources To Help Improve Your Mental Health.
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Maintaining good mental health is just as important as looking after your physical health. We are all likely to experience some form of mental health issues at some point in our lives, but as long as you know how to deal with it effectively, you can come out of the other side much stronger.
There are plenty of lifestyle changes that you can make, but it is also important that you make use of the resources that are available to you. There are so many great resources that can teach you more about mental health so you understand the root cause of your issues, and some resources that can give you good advice on improving your mental health. These are some of the best resources that can help you manage your mental health.
The Internet
The internet is a huge source of information and there is so much about mental health on there. There are sites like Prosperity Alaska that have loads of great articles about mental health and wellness, with so many great tips on improving your mental health. Reading these kinds of sites will help you to find new ways to change your habits and lifestyle for better long term mental health.
You can also find a lot of information about the causes and symptoms of mental health issues, which helps you to identify when you may have a problem. However, there is a lot of bad information on the internet, so it is important that you find official medical bodies so you know that you are getting good advice.
Books
There are a lot of great books out there that can help you to improve your mental health. In a lot of cases, it helps to know that other people have experienced the same problems as you and found ways to deal with them. You can learn from their experience and try some of the methods that they found useful, which is why books about mental health are such an effective resource. There are books that cover a lot of different things, like managing stress, dealing with anxiety, reaching your full potential, and dealing with traumatic life events. Not everything that you find in these books will be applicable to you, but if you are having a hard time, you should try reading some books about mental health.
Your Doctor
The best place to go for advice about mental health is always your doctor. Even though it is good to make lifestyle changes and find your own advice, you should always see a medical professional if things are getting on top of you. They will be able to prescribe medications that can be very useful, and they will also help you to find other treatments, like talking therapies, which are so effective when trying to deal with mental health problems.
If you make good use of these resources, you will find it a lot easier to manage your mental health and avoid any serious issues in the future.
Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. One of the keys to running a successful business is protecting it. Particularly if your business is run out of a centralized location or is considered “brick and mortar”, protecting it is of the utmost importance. The following contributed post is entitled, Protecting Your Business Property From Physical Damage.
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One of the last things we want to see is our business being broken into, ransacked and left a complete mess as we arrive in the morning. Adverse weather can also be stressful to deal with, as you can’t exactly blame anyone or seek justice for the damages caused. It could be strong winds that shattered your glass windows, or perhaps even flooding which ruined most of your stock. It can be daunting to deal with the idea of physical damage to your business, so here are a couple of ways to help you protect your business from physical damage.
One of the first things to check is the overall structure of your business property. If you bought your store and it was in poor condition before, then there’s a chance that the structure of your business property is compromised. Get in touch with a commercial roofing company if you’re experiencing leaks, make sure you speak to contractors to check the overall stability of areas like your walls and floors, and make sure you get your utilities checked for any damage. This will help extend the life of your property and also help ensure that these issues don’t get worse over time.
Identifying your threats
There’s no point protecting your business against a threat that isn’t applicable to your location. For instance, if you’re in a location that has never experienced a flood, then adding anti-flooding protection is a little pointless. Another good example is using shutters to protect your business if you experience strong winds and tornados. Likewise, if your area is known to have a relatively high crime rate, then protecting it with CCTV cameras and security systems is a good idea. The goal is to identify any threats against your business then build countermeasures against it.
Protecting your stock and equipment
The things inside of your business also need to be protected from physical damage. If there’s a flood or adverse weather affecting your business the protecting your essential equipment will ensure that you can continue running your business. Safeguarding your stock from damage and also thieves is also extremely important. As such, you may want to consider something like strong locks in your storeroom to both deter thieves and also ensure that it can’t easily be damaged. This will generally depend on the type of business you run, so the countermeasures you use to protect your stock and equipment will be dependent on your needs.
Smaller forms of protection for your store
Now that most of the big issues have been taken care of, what about your business furniture? If you operate something like a retail store or supermarket, then having things like stoppers and bumpers will help prevent people from crashing their carts into your shelves and displays. This is more about ensuring that your customers don’t accidentally cause any damage to your business and potentially injure themselves in the process. It’s both about protecting your store and the customers.
Two of the focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. One sector of business is construction and it comes with it’s own set of caveats and nuances. The following contributed post is entitled, Top Advice on How to be Successful Running a Construction Business.
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Are you looking to run a construction business? Maybe even start a new one from scratch? Does the thought of actually doing seem quite scary? Of course, it would! Starting anything new let alone a construction business can be a quite daunting task. So, with all this in mind, how can one run a construction business, and do so successfully? This article hopefully will shed some light on the tips and the advice needed to do just that!
Find and Manage the Suppliers of your Business
This is a given with any business that requires physical products or manufacturing. When it comes to construction, there are many different lanes to choose from. Residential buildings, office buildings, small shelters and big. Or, if you are big enough large scale building developments like Airports, stadiums and huge skyscrapers. All of these different lanes and projects require a different level of relationship with your supplier. For example, if there are pieces of equipment needed such as Floor Cranes for a project, bulk orders may sit better with one supplier than another, who may prefer small bespoke orders. All of these things need to be taken into account if you are planning to, or are running a construction company.
These events can alter to a huge degree to health and the growth of both the construction industry and the housing industry, which has a huge impact on construction on its own. If there are huge changes coming from the political realm, parties pledging huge construction projects, or huge improvements or additions to housing projects, then your business could be able to capitalise on this. However, if the opposite occurs, such as economic downturn, or a reversal of previously promised housing or construction projects then your company take the brunt of the impact from this scenario. For example, the third runway at Heathrow has been tossed and turned by many consecutive Governments. However, when Theresa May gave it the green light and it passed the house, work had begun on how and who would carry out this work. Then a year later, the court deems it unethical due to the environmental impact, so once again the project is shunted. These events can really make an impact on a construction company, so make sure you spread out and keep up a line of clients to steady your books.
Have your Legal Obligations Met
This is a given with any business, but as a construction company, there are many different legal entities that are at play. One of the main ones is with the very nature of construction and using huge equipment like cranes and machinery, to the tools and the handheld tools that can also cause some catastrophic damage to anyone who may get injured by one. Companies such as Hasbrook & Hasbrook are there to help anyone who may be injured whilst at work, but as a business, you have an obligation to keep everyone who works at your business safe, so keeping up your legal obligations Is of utmost importance.
Again, as like any other business finding your lane and discovering your niche is something you need to do right from the get-go. It helps you in many future decisions you and your business will need to take, from things like what clients to take on, and what paths you want to go down in the future to expand and grow. This is the aim at the end of the day, to find the pathway for your business to go, and to keep going down that path and expanding and growing and learning lots of new things to take forward.
It also helps you with your marketing activity. How are you going to market your business? What are your strengths? What are you selling? All of these things collectively make up your marketing mix, so not knowing what your niches are and what you are good at is not a great mix for success, and may achieve quite the opposite. So, get that niche down and find out who you exactly marketing too.
Are you a small, medium, or large scale business?
Some construction companies that are huge national corporations obviously have some benefits and power that a smaller business wouldn’t have, just down to their size and their influence. Some smaller businesses have benefits that a larger business wouldn’t have, for example being more flexible and agile. Decisions are faster than in a huge business, as there are far fewer layers of management to communicate through. When it comes to future planning and decisions you need to make for your business, make sure you know the size of the business and the real power it has. Evaluate the strengths of your business, and outline the weaknesses. When fighting with the competition in a very saturated market, see what weaknesses the big player has over you, and the strengths that you hold over them. Play to those, as these will be the major factor in your success in the construction industry. Like many of these tips, this method and thought process will also make success in many other fields much more likely, so take heed!
Master the Art of Gaining new Clients
Speaking to People and Networking
Networking is one of the best ways to gain leads for your business, and there are several reasons for this. Firstly, it’s personal. You can go directly and talk to people, often from the same area of expertise or people who are going to network primarily to find someone to help them. Then, when you find someone who is looking for something that you can do, then you can really talk and build a relationship with them right there and then. Then, if all goes well, and you have exchanged contact details, you can start talking about what each other wants and then start the business negotiation and hopefully gain a long term client.
Networking events are also good to get your name out there in the world of construction or whatever industry you work within, and then this leads to word of mouth, which this article will delve into more deeply later.
Another way to get customers and project leads as a business is to simply browse the web. Today, most companies have an online presence. Platforms for finding projects and leads that you can bid on such as online tenders can also be a good alternative. Using social media is also something that you can do, for free, to get your message out there. Or, if you are in the place to be able to invest in social media marketing, boosting posts and getting some targeted adverts may also be a good idea! You can share what you have done, the building projects that your company have completed in the past, the plans for projects in the future and behind the scenes looks at your construction processes. All of this content gets people online interested and look into your business more closely. Also not many construction businesses today utilise their power on social media, so if you do so, this gives your business some competitive leverage over older and more backwards companies when it comes to their marketing practices.
Master Word of Mouth
Word of mouth, as it said was going to mentioned once more in more detail, and here goes! Word of mouth is great because once again its a free piece of marketing, that if done right, can garner you, new clients, forever! If more happy clients leave your business, then they will tell others who then come and then leave happy and tell more and so on and so on. It is a proven method and its a method that you should apply to your business!
The benefit of being a construction business is that you are creating something physical, and most likely long-lasting. The more and more work you complete the more and more people are going to be exposed to the work that you have completed. Therefore, the more word of mouth and admiration you will get for the work you have completed. So, keep that word of mouth marketing strong!
Hire the Right People!
This is another given when it comes to the world of business in general, hire the right people! No business will ever succeed or has succeeded when the wrong people have taken the helm.
You need people who are committed and have a great skill set that suits the projects and the suit the needs to the clients that you work for. This mixed with great leadership and teamwork will be the perfect foundations for a successful construction company!
So, that concludes this small article on how to run a successful construction business, and be successful in the construction industry. It is harder than it looks in many ways, but then in some ways, the answers are easy and in plain sight. You just need to work hard, and find them!
Three focuses of my blog are Current Events, Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. With this Coronavirus/Covid-19 Crisis, many businesses are in an unanticipated tailspin. Every business owner must figure out how to survive this storm so that they’re still viable once it passes. The following contributed post is entitled, Promoting Your Business In Challenging Times.
With the Covid-19 outbreak dominating the news and our daily lives, every single aspect of doing business has been plunged into chaos seemingly overnight. And while small businesses are generally used to dealing with challenges, this remains absolutely unprecedented in terms of scale and impact. And while the dust is still settling, any forward-thinking company with a goal for long-term survival is going to be focused on adapting to this new normal as quickly and possible and mapping out a viable way to keep the show on the road under incredibly hard circumstances. No matter the doom and gloom, people still have needs and there is still a market place out there – even if you need to work a little harder to reach it. All bets are off, but it must be said that it’s an extremely difficult landscape to try and market yourself out there. So how can you market your business during sensitive times?
Visualise Your Future Funnel
The companies who are going to manage to come through all this are the ones who are actively thinking ahead. While everyone is struggling to recover and fully understand the impact on their operations, those who are able to take a step back from the panic and think ahead towards times of recovery will be the ones who are able to benefit the most. It can be tempting in desperate times to try to secure a sales pipeline, but this messaging can come across as insensitive. Instead, use this immediate time to craft some sympathetic crisis communications checking in with customers and offering support in any way that you can. Then begin to plan a second phase where you can build up to something approaching normal marketing activity again. What channels will offer the best value? What SEO might you need to do on your site? How might you change your messaging to fit new circumstances?
Ensure Value For Money
Cashflow is going to be a serious matter for almost all businesses following this period of disruption, so now is a very good time to ensure that the return on investment for your marketing spend is going to deliver what you need. Review everything from your PPC campaigns which may not be living up to their conversion goals, to any outdoor advertising which may be going unseen as people stay indoors. Consider new channels which may have better reach in these times – such as forms of digital advertising or perhaps finding out about radio advertising here: howtoadvertiseonsiriusxm.com/.
Get The Tone Right
Tone is everything at the moment, as your audience navigates it’s way through difficult circumstances. Remember that people are worried and concerned, and that there may be more sales barriers to overcome than usual – ones you may not have handled before. Depending on what you do, you may be fielding more queries about hygiene, cancellation policies, payment terms and travel restrictions than ever before. Your tone should be reassuring, realistic and kind. During times of crisis, it is possible to foster deep customer loyalty with the right approach.
A key focus of my blog is Business/Entrepreneurship. In some instances you may need to may need to build your own workspace. In some instances it’s easier said than done as there are numerous considerations. The following contributed post is entitled, Building Your Own Workspace? Consider These Aspects First.
There are numerous old sayings that relate to the importance of having an appropriate workspace in which to do your work. Trying to muddle along as best you can with what you have can only work for so long, especially if you happen to have a job that depends on precision and accuracy. If your work involves time spent in a kitchen, a lab, a ward or any other facility where the timely following of instructions is a necessity, then you need a workspace that is up to the job.
You can request the building of a space, and lay down your specifications for the expert contractors who will put it together. You, yourself, can construct the space to your own specs and oversee every part of the work. Either way, it is essential to keep in mind certain basic principles which will guide the successful building of a functional workspace, and ensure the right results from your efforts time and again.
Make sure your space is easy to clean
If you’re working in a lab, sterility is absolutely essential – and it’s the same story if you’re in any kind of commercial kitchen. Scientific experimentation or simple replication is dependent upon laboratory conditions – in other words, the merest speck of dirt, the merest impurity on an important surface can negate the work that has been done to achieve your goals. This means that surfaces should be chosen for their ease of cleaning, resistance to moisture and ability to show up any impurity that might linger. Sinks, tables and floors are all of vital importance in this regard.
Storage needs to be accessible and unobtrusive
For ideal results, ingredients and implements need to be accessed at exactly the right times, used and put back where they belong – the importance of avoiding clutter is something that applies to all workspaces. A clumsily placed item can lead to spillage, cross-contamination or worse, so ensure that your workspace has dedicated storage which doesn’t get in the way, but is easy to access when you need it. Using carbon fiber design to create precisely the right implements is certainly a good idea; it’s a versatile compound that can deliver excellent results.
There must be room for maneuver
Space is essential when you are working with anything that may be volatile, anything that may give off heat, or anything that needs to be left to itself for a spell of time. Whether in a lab or a kitchen, you’ll need to have room to move around to look for items, and in some cases (such as emergencies) just to get out of the way. Account for this room when putting together your workspace – particularly if you will be accompanied in there at any time. Bumping into another person constantly – as will happen in cramped spaces – is far from ideal in a working area.
Ensuring that everything is just the way it needs to be can make a huge difference when you are looking for the perfect working space. Considering these points, and others, will help you get the results you need.
Two of the focuses of my blog are Career Discussions and General Education. As some point, there are inevitable changes in our careers. Many workers are not prepared for changes, though they must figure out how to move forward. The following contributed post is entitled, How To Come Back From A Forced Change In Career.
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There are times where we suddenly take a change of course in our career for one reason or another. Sometimes it’s a decision that we make, and sometimes it isn’t. When that change of career is forced upon us, due to a lack of demand for your current role, redundancy, a drop in sales, or something bigger, there are things you can do to help ease into the transition, from one career to another. Here are some ideas from people who have been there before, and ways in which you can prevent the changes impacting you significantly.
Try something you enjoy There may be a franchise out there for you, that you have always wanted to try, having a look at the Franchise Direct, might find the right one that you’ve always been looking for, or there may be a hobby that you currently have that you can turn into a career. There are many big business owners, who will tell you that doing what you enjoy will help you in your success. There is some psychology behind this because we always work harder when we want to, and if we are doing something that we enjoy doing, then we will, of course, want to. But finding out what this does take time, so if you aren’t lucky enough to have time to change your mind, then thinking back about all the roles that you have taken in the past, and which ones you enjoyed the most, may point you in the right direction.
Back to basics Going back to basics, whether that is starting a course on a new subject, going back to school, or rebooting your existing business, there is a world of opportunity At your feet, and there is plenty that you are able to do in the opportunities you have been given. Going back to basics can actually mean many things, but if there is something that you’ve always wanted to learn, it may be a great opportunity to try now. Taking your time and really discovering what the intentions of your learning is, and making sure that you do your best along the way, will have you coming out the other end feeling great about it. And learning a new skill can boost your career in ways you may never have imagined before.
Stay calm If you’re changing career isn’t necessarily your choice, then it may be a bit of a shock to your system, and might be a stressful time for you. But nobody is productive whilst they are panicking, so making sure that you have a plan, are keen to ensure that you fix the problems ahead, and do your very best, then there’s no point worrying about anything else. A calm mind is a productive mind, and you will find yourself in a much better position if you look after your mental health through this time.
So even though change isn’t always easy, it can be as good as a rest and may bring opportunities that you could not have imagined before. So taking care that you calmly look at your options, and make the right decisions for you is important.
Two key focuses of my blog are Career Discussions and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). While we’re encouraging participation in the STEMs today, there are potential challenges in the sector going forward which we must also be aware of. The following contributed post is entitled, Challenges Facing The STEM Sector.
Without a thriving STEM sector, it is hard for a nation to rise and meet its obligations and challenges for the future. Considering that STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, it’s easy to see just how much of what goes into building a country falls under that banner. Then, consider that (before Coronavirus hit, throwing all future plans into chaos), the USA is on target to have 2million STEM jobs unfilled from the 3.5million that it needs to source by 2025. America needs to work on its STEM shortage; so what can be done?
It seems clear that something needs to be done. 2025 isn’t some mythical far-off future; it’s five years away. STEM, by any reckoning, is a field from which we get doctors, pharmacists, engineers of all kinds and programmers, along with a great many other occupations. If there is a reluctance among younger people to focus on STEM subjects, and a lack of aspiration towards careers in the sector, what does the future hold for all of these industries?
There is a significant gender gap in STEM industries
It is easy to point fingers and find explanations for a shortfall of women in the STEM workforce, and yet… the key fact is that the industries are not attracting anywhere near as many young women as they need to be. At the crucial ages of 15-16 – just as they are starting to focus closely on what they’ll be doing at college – just 20% of girls have a positive impression of engineering jobs. Other numbers suggest that as many as three-quarters of school-age kids don’t understand what STEM careers entail – so creating the conditions to change this is an essential first step.
Concerningly, the reputation of science fields at academic institutions is not great from an equalities point of view, with women on campus reporting a pervasive culture of sexual harassment.
Less inward immigration means fewer overseas experts
Regardless of one’s political standpoint, it is necessary to point out that you can either have a world-leading STEM sector at all levels or a country that applies harsh limits on immigration. You cannot have both, and the numbers of H-1B visas being issued is trending downwards in all sectors – including to STEM graduates. This, according to experts in the field, is inevitably handing advantages to other countries – notably China which is home to 4.7 million graduates in the field, compared to America’s 560,000 as of 2016.
The term STEM is often poorly-defined
Who works in STEM, in your opinion? A few occupations were named above and, for sure, doctors and engineers are certainly STEM experts. Anyone getting in touch with LOC Scientific for essential lab equipment, or researching potential cures for illnesses like the one sweeping the planet right now is also a STEM worker. So, too, is any architect or therapist – and the lack of clarity over the definition of such a vital term could be overall off-putting for people who think about the whole sector as having to do with bubbling flasks and test-tubes. Perhaps, more than anything else, what STEM needs in the next five years is a rebrand.
