Kortrijk (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): In West Flanders, only 20% of students graduate in STEM fields, much lower than the job market needs. Voka and schools aim to make STEM education more engaging to address the skills gap and support economic growth.
In West Flanders, only about 20% of students graduate in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). This is much lower than what the job market needs. Because of this, many companies can’t find workers with the right skills. Joyce Simons from Voka says it’s really important to get more students to study and finish STEM education. The business community is worried about not having enough skilled workers in these areas. The job market is having a hard time because companies struggle to fill important jobs in technology, engineering, and science.
What initiatives are being taken to address the STEM skills gap in Kortrijk?
Voka wants to team up with schools, businesses, and the government to make STEM education more interesting and easier for students. This could mean giving better career advice, showing more about STEM jobs, and providing hands-on experiences to highlight the opportunities available. By encouraging more young people to consider STEM careers, the goal is to help solve the worker shortage and support West Flanders’ economic growth.
At the Talent Center, students take different tests to see what skills they have. They do tests for thinking, interests, creativity, and hand skills. This helps create a talent report for them and their parents. Ringo Vanden Abele from PTI of Kortrik shared that it was the first time their school used the Talent Center, and the 2nd-year Technological Sciences students were excited to discover their talents. They enjoyed finding out what they were good at and where they could get better. They also tested spatial awareness, which is important for STEM subjects, using VR glasses. For hand skills, they worked on a panel where they had to complete tasks quickly.
The tests at the Talent Center are made by smart people from Ghent University. Simons from Voka said that there aren’t enough good tools to check skills today. The researchers got information from 1,000 students and are watching them to see how their test scores connect to what they study and how well they do in school. Schools can join for free to check out the Talent Center. There are also other Talent Centers in places like East Flanders.
