Canada at risk of STEM skills deficit, report warns

Canada is at risk of losing ground in the global economy unless educators and governments convince more youth to pursue STEM-related careers, suggests a new report from the Canadian Council of Chief Executives. The report says Canada faces an increasing shortage of workers with university degrees in the STEM fields, in large part due to relatively few Canadian secondary school graduates choosing to enrol in such programs. The report cites a 2010 survey of 16- to 18-year-old Canadians, only 37% of whom said they were interested in taking a science course at the PSE level. While PSE participation remains high nationally, the proportion of students in STEM programs is weak, particularly at the postgraduate level. The report calls for the creation of a national roundtable to develop both a vision for the future and a comprehensive strategy to obtain that vision. CCCE News Release | Vancouver Sun | Report