Mr. Barry Convey:

Three minutes are allocated for technology and three minutes for science. If the Department is interested in solving the current issues we have with the promotion of STEM and increasing the participation of all in STEM, it must first look at the time and resources allocated to primary school teachers.

Some 85% of primary school teachers are female. Can we task this cohort of professionals with increasing the awareness among their students of what STEM is, what the STEM subjects are, and the skill set that students develop and carry forward into post-primary education, tertiary education, and then into a career in STEM? That is where the future is and that is where the jobs are.