STEM in Schools – Taking Australia’s Kids to New Heights

STEM, an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, has come to be viewed as a way of thinking, rather than just a promotion of technical subjects.

According to education expert, Linda Pfeiffer, is about using design thinking and the application of science and technology skills to solve problems.

The Australian Government and schools around the country have latched onto this idea, but there have been some drawbacks and questions on how best to design and implement curriculum. Companies like Woodside Energy, in conjunction with Earth Sciences Western Australia, have been running STEM programs in WA schools since 2016. So far they’ve reached over 10, 000 kids; with programs as basic as making sandwiches to explain geology to virtual reality tours of natural gas projects.

STEM is so important in education because it allows kids to engage in subjects that will greatly improve their career opportunities in a rapidly changing world. Design thinking is also becoming a fundamental life skill as a system of processing information and solving complex problems.

For more information on STEM in schools in WA, see Woodside’s education page here.

Image courtesy of Woodside

The natural gas industry directly employs thousands of Australians and continues to create jobs in local communities across the country. Not only that, industry jobs are well-paid. The average wage for workers is over $160,000 a year (Australian Bureau of Statistics), which makes it Australia’s highest paying industry. That’s great for those with jobs related to natural gas, but it also helps keep local communities running too.