Shaping the next generation in STEM: How you can help

This National Careers Week, Science Oxford is inviting businesses and career scientists to help open doors for young people by showcasing the real pathways, passions, and possibilities within the world of STEM.

National Careers Week offers a timely reminder of the role employers play in shaping the future STEM workforce. At Science Oxford, we’re committed to helping young people understand the real landscape of STEM careers. This is only possible through strong partnerships with the organisations and specialists doing the work every day.

Inspiring young people about STEM careers

Our STEM Careers programme, relaunched last year for students in Years 10-13, is built on the belief that young people make better-informed, more ambitious choices when they meet the people behind the science.

At our most recent STEM Insight Days during February half-term, students experienced hands-on AI workshops, met specialists during visits to Abbott Diabetes Care, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and enjoyed high‑impact speed‑networking sessions with inspiring professionals leading the way in Global Health and Digital technology.

This personal and interactive exposure to the world of STEM allows students to glimpse behind the curtain, offering opportunity to explore new avenues and develop interest beyond the curriculum.

Breaking down barriers

Young people in Oxfordshire face a range of barriers that make it harder for them to explore and progress into local STEM careers, despite the county’s world‑class innovation economy.

Research shows that access to STEM opportunities is uneven across the region, with a fragmented outreach landscape that leaves some schools and communities far less connected to employers than others.

Socio‑economic factors add further challenges: one in four children in Oxford lives below the poverty line, and high transport and housing costs make it difficult for many to access training, apprenticeships, or work experience—particularly when much STEM industry is based on business parks outside the city centre.

These challenges disproportionately affect disadvantaged groups, who are significantly less likely to progress into post‑16 STEM study, limiting the diversity of the future talent pipeline both locally and nationally.

These issues make one thing clear: young people need more direct connections with the STEM organisations shaping our region’s future.

Calling on businesses

If your business can offer time, insight, space, or expertise, you can play a pivotal role in reducing barriers and widening access to the opportunities many young people currently can’t reach.

Involvement in our programmes also raises your organisation’s visibility among schools, families and communities at a time when young people are actively seeking guidance and engagement from employers.

For companies operating in Oxfordshire’s innovation‑driven economy—where employers report shortages in degree‑level STEM candidates and specialist technical skills—engaging early with young people is also an investment in future recruitment, helping to build awareness of your brand and inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers and technologists to see your organisation as a place where they can thrive.

By collaborating with Science Oxford, your company can make a meaningful community contribution while gaining a strategic advantage in developing the talent you will rely on in the years to come.

Partner with us

We work with companies of all sizes and sectors to create meaningful encounters for young people, whether that be workplace visits and hands-on challenges to talks, mentoring and real-life problem-solving activities. The experiences don’t need to be elaborate; authenticity and insight are what students value most.

As demand from schools continues to grow, we’re looking to expand our network of partners who would like to make a measurable difference. If your organisation is passionate about inspiring future scientists, engineers, technologists and researchers, we’d welcome the chance to work with you.

Get in touch and become part of a network giving young people the opportunities they deserve.

Find out more about our STEM Careers programmme here  or get in touch at [email protected].