Stimulating Australian STEM education in regional Queensland through a novel school–university–industry partnership

The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) crisis involves a shortage of students—the next generation, who will be responsible for our futures—studying STEM. The future without people having competency in STEM disciplines will be problematic as over 75% of jobs now require STEM skills (Chubb et al., 2012). STEM is vital to all aspects of the nation’s growth including Australia’s competitiveness, health and well-being, and prosperity (Office of the Chief Scientist, 2014). One method to address the STEM crisis is to look at the way STEM is taught in schools and to develop educators’ skills in teaching STEM-based curriculum to be more engaging and innovative to spark interest in students for future employment within STEM (Department of Education, 2016). As a result, STEM in the Gladstone region has a ‘space, place, and face’ and importantly is being replicated across the Central Queensland University (CQUniversity) regional footprint. The Queensland Government invested $2.8 million in the Advanced Technology and Innovation Centre (ATIC) to support industry and education in Central Queensland, which was modelled on the design of STEM Central in Gladstone (Queensland Government, 2020).