Proceedings of the 8th World Conference on Future of Education
Year: 2024
DOI:
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STEM Education and Employability: UN Recruitment Trends and Sustainable Development Competencies
Yanyan Chen, Yifei Liu, Ling Gao
ABSTRACT:
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education is essential for preparing graduates to meet the demands of global governance and contribute to sustainable development. This study explores the role of STEM skills in United Nations (UN) recruitment, focusing on employability trends and the alignment of STEM roles with sustainable development goals. Using a corpus of 12.13 million words from 2022–2023 UN job postings, the research examines the prevalence of STEM-related positions, their responsibilities, and the competencies required. A combination of quantitative analysis using Python, Lancsbox, and Nvivo 12 software, along with manual coding based on the United Nations Competencies for the Future framework, offers key insights. The findings show that STEM graduates are hired for both professional and general service roles, with competencies such as expertise, communication, teamwork, accountability, and integrity highly valued. These results underline the service-oriented nature of STEM roles and their significance in sustainable development initiatives. The study recommends incorporating interdisciplinary projects and practical learning into STEM curricula to better align education with workforce needs. By addressing these gaps, graduates will be more equipped to tackle complex global challenges and support sustainable development efforts effectively.
keywords: data mining, STEM graduates, sustainable development, the United Nations Competencies for the Future (UNCF), work employability