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STEM Partnerships

Lorien partners with In2scienceUK to boost STEM skill mobility

We’ve partnered with our Impellam STEM sister companies SRG (life sciences recruitment) and Carbon60 (engineering recruitment) to improve social mobility in STEM through our chosen charity partner In2scienceUK. Together, we’re sponsoring students on In2scienceUK’s scholarship programme, which provides young people from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds with the skills and experience they need to pursue a career in STEM. Read on to find out more about our partnership!

Lorien partners with In2scienceUK

Who are In2scienceUK?

In2scienceUK is a social mobility charity which aims to help young people from low socio-economic backgrounds gain practical insight and hands-on experience in the STEM sector. Every year the programme gives hundreds of students the opportunity to take part in life-changing work placements, develop their confidence in STEM and learn the skills they need to follow their dream career. 75% of In2scienceUK’s students go on to study degrees in STEM-related fields, and we are proud to play a part in that journey.

Learn more about In2scienceUK

Supporting STEM skill mobility

How is Lorien partnering with In2scienceUK?

Lorien is sponsoring students on In2scienceUK’s Scholars Programme, which includes working alongside experts in research- and industry- based work placements, skills day workshops, and career pathways and insight sessions. We will also be working with In2scienceUK to deliver a workshop on professional development and essential skills for success in the STEM sector. You can find out more about our partnership with In2scienceUK in our press release below.

Read the press release

Why is social mobility in STEM important?

In an industry where just 9% of life science professionals, 15% of scientists, 6% of doctors, 19% of tech workers, and 21% of engineers come from a working-class background, we’re proud to play a part in redressing the balance. There are a number of reasons why addressing social mobility in STEM is important:

- Skill shortages in the STEM industry are reported to be costing the economy £1.5bn a year, with demand for over 173,000 people in the STEM sector. As the supply-demand imbalance grows, we need to find sustainable ways to feed the pipeline.
- Research indicates that STEM-related subjects such as computing, medical sciences and engineering have the highest mobility rates. By investing in STEM, we can improve equality.
- Social immobility in STEM is currently a self-fulfilling prophecy. Did you know that 35% of tech Board members attended Oxbridge, compared to less than 1% of the population? With those from non-professional backgrounds 2.5x less likely to follow a professional career path than those from a professional household, and a socio-economic science gap that widens with age, not intervening means the problem will never fix itself.

Diverse businesses perform better, think faster, and are more creative problem solvers. Who knows what brilliant ideas are hidden beneath the glass (and class) ceiling? 

 
STEM charity partnerships

What other social mobility and diversity work is Lorien involved in?

We are passionate about improving equality, inclusion, and diversity in STEM, and have a number of long-term partnerships with charities and organisations geared around diversity, including MAMA.codes, TechGirls and Whizz Kids, as well as partnerships with local schools. As a Disability Confident Leader, we take our role in improving the diversity balance in the industry very seriously, and even provide support and education to our clients on how to improve D&I in their own recruitment practices. If you’d like to learn more, please contact us at solutions@lorienglobal.com. You can also download our D&I strategy in recruitment playbook for free.

Download the D&I whitepaper

In2science and Lorien support young people to pursue a career in STEM

I’m interested in a career in STEM

That’s great news! STEM careers are really diverse – there’s so

mething for everyone. You can check our vacancies for tech and digital roles here, science roles here, and engineering roles here. Don’t forget to read some of our tips for pursuing a career in STEM here.


Alternatively, if you’re still at school and want to learn more about the In2scienceUK programme you can apply here. Or if you’re a parent or teacher wanting to improve the STEM skills of those in your care, you might want to check out MAMA.codes and TechGirls.

And of course, we’re always ready to take questions!