The STEM sector (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) is a sought-after sector. STEM subjects (at NewLedge®, we often call them STEMM subjects, the second M standing for medicine) give you unique technical skills that can be applied to real-world jobs.
STEM degrees are usually professional degrees, meaning that you can land a well-paying job soon after — as long as you have relevant STEM skills. But what are STEM skills? And what do you need to focus on from a professional standpoint?
Here’s a breakdown of some STEM skills for students (and professionals) who are looking to move up the career ladder.
Top STEM Skills
STEM concerns itself with pure sciences, engineering, technology and math. All of these subjects require an analytical frame of mind, curiosity to learn more, patience and diligence to spend a good amount of time on research and trial and error, and a spirit of teamwork, since projects can be collaborative in nature.
1.Critical Thinking: Science and tech leaders are faced with new problems every day and have new fires to put out on a day to day basis. A good STEM employee/candidate should possess critical thinking skills to help their team and leaders make the best possible decision to solve the problem at hand.
That means pointing out loopholes and looking at the problem from different angles so that you can find a solution that actually works in the long run. You will also need to measure the outcomes of the solution once it is rolled out.
2.Problem Solving: The goal of any business is to solve a problem for their audience/consumers. Being able to take a problem, break it down to its essence and work up from there is important. Pretty much anything can be considered a problem that needs a solution but having the drive and patience to attempt to resolve the problem is a must-have STEM skill.
Download our Customer Problem Statement Template
3.Analytical Skills: Once a solution is rolled out or implemented, it’s important to measure its efficacy, which is done with analysis. It’s not just about looking at how effective your solution is: you will also have to sift through data in varying forms. To be able to analyse and understand those data sets is essential.
Analytical skills are important not just after a solution is implemented, but even before it. Analyse work from all aspects to come up with an effective and efficient way to get things done.
4.Collaboration: No person is an island and in the world of STEM, teamwork and collaboration is very important. Being collaborative is perhaps one of the most important STEM skills, since you need to be a team player and put your best foot forward to realise a shared goal or solution.
5.Innovation: As technology advances and we learn how to live in a world affected by a pandemic, the needs of consumers have changed. And change is the only constant. As humans and their environments evolve, STEM employees need to look for new ways to solve problems quicker, more economically and more effectively. So, innovation is key. It need not necessarily mean coming up with a breakthrough product. It’s about applying technologies or tweaking/improving them to solve a pressing problem at hand. (This is exactly what we do in our program — innovation to improve business performance and solve the Job To Be Done or the problem the consumer is facing.)
These are some of the top STEM skills that are necessary to make a mark in the industry.
Skill-Building across the STEM Spectrum
The thing is, anyone can come up with a generic list of “skills” that are good to have. And many skills, such as thinking on your feet and being a team player, are skills that are relevant and necessary for any kind of work environment.
Your skills are only as valuable as what your employer needs. If you are working as a segment or sketch producer for a variety comedy show, chances are, they don’t care much if you know how to code.
Similarly, the STEM companies today need employees with skills that are important to them: how to improve and grow business performance, how to harness their technology to do bigger and better things, how to solve problems within the organisation and for consumers so that profitability increases. And most of all, to use their STEM skills to create value for the world at large.
The NewLedge® for STEMM course is designed to do just that.
We’ve worked with and consulted with SMB (small and medium-sized business) STEM companies that are on the threshold of creating new technologies and come under the high-growth, high-performing category of businesses.
And these companies have a unique requirement: they need employees who have more than a STEM degree. They need employees who have industry-relevant STEM skills. That means working across departments, functions and roles, from product to marketing and beyond.
The problem that plagues Australia and many other nations in the world is their outlook on innovation. It isn’t true innovation if it is an idea that stays on paper. Innovation happens when you can take that idea and make it profitable.
We equip our learners with STEM skills that will help them succeed with innovation, by teaching them how to make decisions like a CEO and improve business performance across research, development, marketing and technology.
Businesses today need agile employees who can adapt and work across marketing and technology and stay ahead of the curve NewLedge® teaches students to:
- Implement innovation and commercialise products – not just invent
- Make fast and effective decisions
- Improve business performance, across high-priority industries
- Become agile, adaptable STEMM leaders
- Build future-ready careers
So if you’d like to see how you can enhance your STEM degree with of-the-moment, cutting-edge STEM skills – let us know. You can learn more about the course here.