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Catch 'em young

Thursday 1st November 2001

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Everyone's talking about transforming New Zealand into a knowledge economy, but the trend among young Kiwis is to work in the hospitality trade rather than as scientists and technologists

A growing number of young Kiwis aren't interested in careers in science and maths, if the findings of the 2001 TMP Worldwide Workchoice Day are anything to go by.

Just look at the figures. Only half a per cent of over 9000 New Zealand year 12 students (sixth-formers) who participated in this year's Workchoice Day programme in early May showed any signs of interest in science- and maths-related industries.

"This is a drastic fall from where we started six years ago. In 1995 over 9% of students were willing to explore career options in science and maths," says Kathy Williams, the national Workchoice manager. Workchoice statistics show a steady decline in this area over the last few years - to 2% in 1998, 1.5% in 1999, 1% in 2000 and finally 0.5% this year.

Since its inception, the Workchoice statistics have served as a snapshot of what young New Zealanders think about their future and the opportunites open to them. So far 79,000 students have taken part in the annual Workchoice Day programme run by the Workchoice Trust since 1994.

Year 12 students, the workforce of tomorrow, are taken on a day's visit to different companies. The aim is to provide a "hands-on" introduction to each workplace so the students can make up their minds on what they want to do when they leave school.

While the students are turning away from science and maths careers, what they fancy the most is the hospitality industry. This year more than 60% of participants were interested in hospitality and tourism. As one programme organiser said: "It looks like too many young Kiwis would like to serve guests at New Zealand's hotels, tourist resorts, restaurants and bars." One student, Rose Mary Maguire, said she was attracted to the hospitality trade because of the potential for employment, both in New Zealand and overseas.

Next in popularity at the Workchoice Day was a career in the army, air force and the police, chosen by 12% of the students. Other choices were business and administration industry (10%), trades (7%), health (6%), retail and design (both 4.5%). At the bottom sits the maths- and science-related industries.


Selling science

The Workchoice Day findings have disappointed those trying to turn New Zealand into a knowledge economy. New Zealand academics already bemoan the shrinking numbers choosing to work in science and technology. A report prepared for the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology by Web Research and The Open Polytechnic of New Zealand found New Zealand's scientific and technical workforce is getting older. The June 1999 report says nearly a third of this group are aged 30 to 39 years; all are due for retirement in about 20 years. Of immediate concern are the 13% of workers aged over 50 years, who will retire by 2006.

Why are young people deserting science and technology in droves?

Williams feels there are flaws in the school curricula. "I know for sure that many students find it difficult to cope with the high standards of science and maths when they reach year 11 or 12. This is obviously because their foundations in science and maths at the primary school level were weak," she asserts.

Two Auckland Girls Grammar year 12 students agree.

"Until the fifth form [year 11] our science studies are all about the environment, plants and animals and there is very little physics, chemistry and biology included. But these subjects are suddenly thrust upon us as we reach the sixth form," says Sophie Scott-Humphries. She and classmate Bernadette Waller feel they would have been better equipped if they had started the other science subjects earlier.

Their views conflict with that of Elizabeth Godfrey, undergraduate associate dean at Auckland University's School of Engineering, who was involved in upgrading the school science syllabus in the early 1990s. Godfrey thinks our science and maths curricula compares well with other western countries'. But she is concerned at "an overall overcrowded curricula". With art, drama, music, physical education, photography, graphics and design, and more, there are too many subjects for secondary school students to absorb, she says.

The blame lies with a shortage of skilled and experienced science and maths teachers, according to Dr Lydia Austin, former science teacher and now senior science lecturer at Auckland University's School of Education. "This impacts the students' performance in these two subjects, eventually turning them off science and maths." The good news is that the Ministry of Education is trying to tackle this problem. The 2000 annual report of the Education Review Office spoke of the need to introduce extensive pre-employment and in-service training for teachers.

So it would seem no single factor is responsible for the trend.

There is, for instance, the rising cost of tertiary education. Average fees work out at $3000 per year. Add books and the cost of living away from home and you're paying double that amount. The average debt a tertiary student incurs gaining a degree is likely to be at least $20,000, a heavy burden before a student even starts work.

"Tertiary education just proves too expensive for students. Only those who are fortunate enough to have rich parents or those who are willing to borrow finance can afford it," says Bill Barton, head of the maths education unit at Auckland University's School of Mathematical and Information Sciences.

While there is no magic formula to change young minds overnight, there are a couple of solutions that may arrest the trend. Telling them about their earning prospects in relation to the hospitality trade is a good starting point. According to university employment coordinator Tony Crane, students graduating with just a good pass in information technology, industrial maths or biotechnology, after a four-year Bachelor of Technology degree, can expect to start off earning between $40,000 and $45,000 a year. Auckland University's associate dean of science Margaret Goldstone says secondary school career counsellors should be selling students on the excellent career prospects science and technology offer. "It's time that we expose our school kids to the marvel of science and technology," she says.

School careers adviser Val O'Reilly says it's time employers in the science and technology sectors make an effort to market themselves to students. "How do you expect a student to come and work in a biotechnology company or build roads and bridges as a civil engineer unless he or she knows how work is done there?"

Kaveri Mittra
kaveri4@hotmail.com



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