STEM Careers profiles to inspire your students
Sixth-form students are often unaware of the wide range of science careers available to
them, falling back on old favourites such as medicine and veterinary studies. This
resource is designed to raise awareness of a greater range of STEM careers for post-16
students.
This resource consists of 25 PowerPoint slides, each with information about a different
science career, ranging from toxicology to environmental conservation.
These slides can be displayed at the beginning or end of a biology or chemistry lesson
which relates to the career, providing a spark for discussion and raising awareness of
career opportunities.
This resource uses information from ‘Jobfile 2011-2012’ (published by Babcock) to
outline the basics of the role, the qualifications needed, and an indication of the pay
scale. The information given is brief and factual: students wishing to find out more about
the day to day realities of the career may wish to search the web for terms such as
‘careers profile’, ‘a day in the life of’, etc. More information on each career is given in
‘Jobfile’, and each slide includes an additional suggestion for websites to view.
This resource can easily be expanded to include more STEM careers by incorporating
information from sources such as ‘Jobfile’, the Prospects database
(www.prospects.ac.uk), scientific organisations, etc. A blank template slide has been
incorporated for your use.
Each slide includes information on:
Job title:
The name of the job
Salary:
A starting salary range up to the maximum suggested
earnings range.
Relevant subjects:
Some of the A-level subjects (with the odd vocational
subject) that are relevant to this job
Qualifications needed:
Band information:
Jobfile uses a banding system for ways of getting into the
job. Band 1 – no formal qualifications needed.
Band 2 – some qualifications are helpful.
Band 3 – some GCSEs or equivalent are needed.
Band 4 – some A-levels or equivalent are needed.
Band 5 – a degree or equivalent qualification is needed.
This resource concentrates on Band 5 but shows which
other bands are possible.
Degree information:
Brief information on the degrees available and
recommended.
Science & Plants for Schools: www.saps.org.uk
STEM Careers Profiles: p. 1
This document may be photocopied for educational use in any institution taking part in the SAPS programme.
It may not be photocopied for any other purpose. Revised 2012.
Job description:
A very brief description of the work involved, as a spark for
discussion. There is much more detail in Jobfile for this
section.
Page number:
The page that this job starts on in Jobfile 2011-2012.
Jobs included and their suggested connections to topics in AS/A2 Biology
(based on Edexcel specification)
Job title
Relevant syllabus areas
Agricultural Consultant
Plant products, Plant nutrients, Sustainability, Seedbanks.
Ecosystems, Climate Change, Carbon Cycle. GM.
Micropropagation. Plant products, Plant nutrients, Sustainability,
Seedbanks. Ecosystems, Climate Change, Carbon Cycle.
Micropropagation. Plant products, Plant nutrients, Sustainability,
Seedbanks. Ecosystems, Climate Change, Carbon Cycle.
Carbohydrates, Lipids. Proteins, Nucleic acids. Cell biology.
Photosynthesis. Respiration.
All topics.
Agricultural Research Scientist
Arboriculturist
Biochemist
Biologist
Biotechnologist
Chemist
Cystic fibrosis. Micropropagation. Ecosystems, Climate Change,
Carbon Cycle. GM.
Statins. Micropropagation. Plant products, Plant nutrients,
Sustainability, Seedbanks, Medicines from plants. Ecosystems,
Climate Change, Carbon Cycle.
Carbohydrates, Lipids. Proteins, Nucleic acids. Plant products.
Chemist: Analytical
Carbohydrates, Lipids. Proteins, Nucleic acids. Plant products.
Civil Service Scientific Officer
Risk studies. Cystic fibrosis. Ecosystems, Climate Change,
Carbon Cycle. GM.
Sustainability. Ecosystems, Climate Change, Carbon Cycle.
Botanist
Countryside / Conservation Officer / Manager
Ecologist
Environmental Scientist
Forensic Scientist
Forest District Manager
Geneticist
Horticultural Scientist
Niche, Plant products, Plant nutrients, Sustainability, Seedbanks.
Ecosystems, Climate Change, Carbon Cycle.
Plant products, plant nutrients, sustainability,
seedbanksEcosystems, Climate Change, Carbon Cycle. GM.
Forensics / Time of Death.
Plant products, Plant nutrients, Sustainability, Seedbanks.
Ecosystems, Climate Change, Carbon Cycle.
Genetic risks for CHD. Cystic fibrosis. Master genes, Cancer. GM.
Laboratory Technician: Science
Micropropagation. Plant products, Plant nutrients, Sustainability,
Seedbanks. Ecosystems, Climate Change, Carbon Cycle. GM.
All topics.
Marine Biologist
Ecosystems, Climate Change, Carbon Cycle.
Medical Herbalist
Statins. Medicines from plants.
Microbiologist
Micropropagation. TB, HIV. GM.
Science & Plants for Schools: www.saps.org.uk
STEM Careers Profiles: p. 2
This document may be photocopied for educational use in any institution taking part in the SAPS programme.
It may not be photocopied for any other purpose. Revised 2012.
Oceanographer
Ecosystems, Climate Change, Carbon Cycle.
Palaeontologist
Evolution and Adaptations. Ecosystems, Climate Change, Carbon
Cycle, Evolution and Speciation.
Plant products, Plant nutrients, Sustainability, Seedbanks.
Ecosystems, Climate Change, Carbon Cycle.
Forensics / Time of Death.
Soil Scientist
Toxicologist
Useful websites for students to consult
Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (http://careers.abpi.org.uk)
British Ecological Society (www.britishecologicalsociety.org)
Careers in Agriculture (www.careersinagriculture.co.uk)
Futuremorph (www.futuremorph.org)
Gatsby Plants (http://www.gatsbyplants.leeds.ac.uk)
Genetics Society (www.genetics.org.uk)
LANTRA (www.lantra.co.uk)
Microbiology Careers (www.sgm-microbiologycareers.org.uk)
Society of Biology (www.societyofbiology.org)
Royal Society of Chemistry (www.rsc.org)
Science & Plants for Schools: www.saps.org.uk
STEM Careers Profiles: p. 3
This document may be photocopied for educational use in any institution taking part in the SAPS programme.
It may not be photocopied for any other purpose. Revised 2012.