Teachers scheme a benefit to them and to industry

IRELAND is experiencing a severe teacher shortage, with more than 2000 long term vacancies in schools.

There is a projected gap of 4.8 million teachers in Europe and North America and a worldwide gap of 44 million teachers by 2030.

We need teachers. We must value our teachers. We must support our teachers.

The STEM Teacher Internship (STInt) Programme is a step in the right direction to reducing the teacher shortage.

STInt is a national programme that provides pre-service and early career teachers with paid summer internships (8-12 weeks) in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) roles across a variety of industries in Ireland.

STInt was launched in 2016 as a Dublin City University initiative to inspire innovative learning, and through national funding support has expanded to include teachers from seven Irish Universities: Dublin City University (DCU), Maynooth University (MU), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), University of Galway (UG), University of Limerick (UL), University College Cork (UCC), University College Dublin (UCD).

Through collaboration with 60+ organisations across Ireland, STInt engages primary and post primary teachers in immersive STEM learning experiences. 

The goal is to ensure teachers are prepared with practical skills, feel confident to educate and inspire the next generation of the STEM enthusiasts, science communicators, software developers, civil engineers, laboratory technicians, field researchers, etc.

We support existing teachers by providing an opportunity in industry, an uncommon occurrence in the teaching field, by facilitating the growth of their technical skills, and broadening their understanding of STEM.

The summer placement leaves most interns eager to share their experiences and use their honed technical skills in the classroom, with 87% very confident they could design a STEM learning experience based on a real-world context after completing their summer internship.

This programme is a collaborative effort with our industry partners. STint hosts include organisations from a broad range of sectors, including life sciences research, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, biotechnology, utility and telecommunications, software and information technology, financial services, and most recently, construction.

Out of the 41 hosts welcoming STInt interns this summer, nine companies are located in Cork - Analog Devices, BioMarin, Cyberskills, Jacobs Engineering, Janssen Sciences, McKesson, SIRO Dac, Teagasc, and VistaMilk.

Additionally, our valued STInt partners who continue to support the Programme are as follows: Centre for the Advancement of STEM teaching and Learning (CASTeL), 30% Club Ireland, Connecting Women in Technology (CWIT), Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Skillnet, Intel, and the Department of Education.

What’s next for our programme? This year, we have 14 of 69 interns completing the internship programme in Cork. 

Although our interns are students or alumni from schools around the country, plenty return to their home towns, where they seek employment during the summer.

The class of 2024 will begin their internships this June and we eagerly await to learn what they take away from their experience in industry.

You may wonder what benefits the hosts by participating in such a programme. Our hosts have shared that bringing a teacher onto their teams has increased diversity of thought, community engagement and company awareness. They even share how their involvement in the programme allows the company to build a future talent pipeline.

By participating, the future forward values touted by industry become actionable as the impacts of supporting our teachers are lasting.

This year’s cohort alone will have an impact on an estimated 317 000 primary and post-primary learners over their career. (Based on teacher: student ratios of 1:5000 post-primary and 1:1000 primary)

Ultimately, participants, whether they are interns, hosts, or partners, are supporting the alliance between education, industry, and research.

In doing so, we are shaping shared futures by empowering individuals with STEM competencies that allow us to thrive in our ever changing and complex world.

Are you a pre-service or in-service STEM teacher? Do you work in the STEM industry and would like to see your company participate?

Keep an eye on our LinkedIn and X account @STEMTeachIntern to learn what to expect from the 2024 summer internship and register your interest on our website, stemteacherinternships.ie, to participate as an intern or host in the 2025 programme.