Plugging the ‘leaky pipeline’ with creative STEM outreach

28 January 2026

Women are still underrepresented in the water sector workforce – immersive programmes to encourage the next generation of female professionals can help

“I want to work with people that are passionate and I want to add value to projects."

"I discovered that I want to work in civil engineering.”

“I realised that we should be ourselves, not try to be someone else just to fit in."

These are some of the reflections shared by high school students after taking part in an innovative, immersive STEM outreach programme with the NGO Ahead Partnership. With activities designed to build confidence, discover new passions and empower students to be themselves, creative outreach programmes like this are inspiring the next generation of water and environmental professionals.

In 2023, 9.4 million people – approximately one third of the UK workforce – were employed in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) occupations. Water and environmental professionals apply STEM to real-world problems, in areas such as data analysis and modelling, civil and water engineering, geographic information systems (GIS), renewable energy technology and ecosystem management. Yet this and other sectors that rely on these skills are facing a considerable employment gap, with 49% of engineering and technology businesses reporting difficulties with recruitment because of skills shortages and the UK government estimating a cost to the UK economy of £1.5 billion a year.

With the number of people in STEM-related employment projected to rise by up to 10% under by 2030, the challenge is set to grow. There have been extensive efforts to address this shortage, ranging from development of vocational routes such as apprenticeships, upskilling the existing workforce and improving engagement with young people in schools and universities. Between 2013 and 2023 there was a 22% increase in employment in STEM roles, but skill shortages across different STEM sectors remain a significant concern for the future.

Diverse solutions

To identify and implement the best solutions to the complex water and environmental challenges encountered in the face of climate change, employers need to draw from the widest possible pool of talent. A diverse workforce, across gender, ethnicity, disability and socioeconomic status, is necessary for developing sustainable scalable solutions. Enhanced diversity is critical for driving innovation, enhancing creativity, improving problem solving and strengthening economic growth.

Yet the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM identified female representation in the STEM workforce of just 27% in 2019, with the UK Parliament Office of Science and Technology noting systematic barriers and social inequalities as potential causes of this underrepresentation. It’s a slightly more positive picture in the water industry, at 33%, according to the Energy & Utility Skills Water Industry Profile. But the organisation STEM Women estimates that equal gender representation in STEM careers will not be achieved until 2070.

Building a strong pipeline of future talent is key to ensuring future workforce demands can be met. ‘A leaky pipeline’ is a commonly used term to explain the progressive underrepresentation of women at the different stages of the education-to-career journey within the STEM sector. STEM outreach activities have long been employed in schools to engage young people as the future workforce in relevant industries and have historically taken the form of one-off events such as the invitation of a guest speaker, a workplace visit or school trips to museums and science centres. Whilst worthwhile in being inspirational, raising awareness of particular careers and content learning, these isolated interventions often do not foster the deeper levels of engagement and lasting impact necessary to influence the aspirations of young people towards continuing STEM education.

In recent years, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an important aspect of public and private sector businesses seeking not only to attract the best talent and secure their reputations, but also to make a positive impact on society, nature and the community. Increased investment in CSR, combined with advances in digital technology, have created greater opportunity for creating innovative, impactful STEM outreach.

The benefits of sustained STEM outreach are myriad: students develop essential workplace skills and self-confidence; volunteers enhance their mentoring and communication skills while gaining increased job satisfaction; and employers raise their profile in the local community, which supports recruitment. Insights from The Careers & Enterprise Company, England’s national body for careers education, indicate that employers doing the most targeted and intensive outreach are four times more likely to report an increase in the number of young people applying for apprenticeships. Ongoing, connected outreach programmes also boost student interest in sectors facing skills shortages such as construction and health and social care.

A sustained programme

Across the UK, organisations are investing in comprehensive, structured outreach initiatives. These include appointing regional STEM ambassadors to lead and promote outreach, forming one-to-one mentoring partnerships and developing year-long programmes that blend classroom learning, industry visits and practical workshops.

In 2023, design and engineering consultancy Arcadis partnered with Ahead Partnership to deliver an empowerment programme to female students aged 14 and 15 at a secondary school in Leeds. Ahead Partnership collaborates with public and private sector organisations to develop and deliver bespoke skills and careers programmes to support young people to reach their full potential, with a focus on those facing barriers such as underrepresentation.

The programme, entitled the Female Empowerment Development Challenge (FEDC), comprises approximately 10 hours of sustained collaboration between Arcadis volunteers and students across five weekly sessions. It was designed with the objectives of inspiring and empowering young female students to pursue opportunities within STEM, says Annie Vergette-Hollingworth, principal consultant at Arcadis, who leads delivery of the programme. “It provides the opportunity to mentor young people who may never have been told or believed they could have a future in STEM,” she goes on. “We have been able to bust preconceptions about who can and can’t work in STEM and show that women can and do work in these types of roles, to great success.”

Following the success of the pilot in 2023, the programme has expanded each year and in 2025 was delivered at schools in Leeds, Bristol and Cambridge. Since its inception, approximately 180 students from six schools have completed the FEDC.

The programme begins with a motivational keynote speech by an inspirational female leader at Arcadis outlining their career journey, passion for their profession and the types of skills needed for a career in the built environment sector such as design and engineering, building homes and infrastructure, and architecture. This is followed by introduction of the challenge itself, where the students are tasked with redeveloping a fictitious former industrial site to meet the needs of their local community During in-person and virtual coaching sessions, the students receive guidance from Arcadis volunteers to support their development concepts as well as valuable advice on employability skills needed for successful project delivery such as communication, teamwork, problem solving and presenting.

For Paul Wrigley, senior technical director at Arcadis, the engagement of volunteers was key: “It was important to make sure that our volunteers were relatable, so we focused on the programme being led by the amazing women we have at Arcadis.”

The challenge has been carefully designed to resemble a real-world project, with unexpected obstacles incorporated to highlight the importance of risk mitigation and problem solving. The students are initially provided with a broad overview of the site: a former factory used to produce and test military equipment such as tanks from 1939 to 1999. More information on investigation findings is provided to the students as the programme progresses: bats are found living in trees around the site perimeter, for example, which prohibits development in particular areas of habitat; there’s petroleum contamination within the soil beneath a gas oil storage unit, which will affect future use of the land following demolition; and the designation of a former social club as a listed building means it must be retained as part of the future development.

The programme culminates in the students visiting the local Arcadis office for a speed networking event with more Arcadis volunteers. It’s here that they deliver their final project presentations and take part in an end-of-programme celebration.

Progress and priorities

Positive outcomes of the programme are clear. The students deliver their final presentations with visibly greater confidence and authority compared to earlier in the programme. The young people consistently identify improved presenting and teamwork skills, as well as increased self-belief, as areas in which they feel they make most progress. Consequently, many students feel less daunted by the idea of presenting in the future, acknowledging that nerves are normal but can be overcome. Students also shared that the programme has strengthened their motivation to study subjects such as civil engineering, architecture and geography, with other students motivated to consider new options after high school and college, having been made more aware of the wide range of careers that STEM subjects can enable.

Every participant of the FEDC reported that they had a better understanding of the roles in the world of work and the vast majority (91%) had a clearer understanding of the pathways leading to different careers. Additionally, 79% were motivated to work harder at school and 70% reported improved self-belief and confidence.

Furthermore, each time the programme is run, common priorities emerge with scope far beyond the personal ambitions of the participants. The young people express a desire to protect the environment, and address the needs of their local communities, such as supporting community mental health and wellbeing, creating inclusive and accessible spaces and responding to cost-of-living challenges.

Power of partnerships

Collaboration with Ahead Partnership has been a crucial element of the success of the Arcadis Female Empowerment Development Challenge. Dedicated ESG organisations such as Ahead Partnership have established expertise in delivering credible, impactful, inclusive programmes and have existing networks with local communities and target audiences. Specialist knowledge on best practices, risk management and measuring impact is key.

“The programmes that we have developed together [with Arcadis] have been designed with specific objectives in mind,” says Stephanie Burras, chief executive of Ahead Partnership. “They deliver outcomes not just for the young women who take part, who develop confidence and vital employability skills, but also for the volunteers from Arcadis, who develop valuable leadership and mentoring skills themselves. In this way, the business benefits from building the skills and engagement with both its existing and its future workforce.”

Over recent decades numerous initiatives have been implemented by government, industry and non-profit organisations targeting the ‘leaky STEM pipeline’. It’s increasingly clear, however, that while one-off engagement has its place in STEM outreach, immersive skills-based experiences are more effective in achieving a significant impact on the aspirations of young people and expanding their awareness of the types of careers available.

Investment in a series of interventions over a prolonged period has the power to deliver a lasting impact on young people’s confidence and self-belief, and significant development of communication, presenting and leadership skills that will be of high value in future workplace and interview settings. By investing in immersive outreach programmes in local communities, with visible, relatable role models, we can inspire the next generation of water and environmental professionals to ensure a resilient and diverse STEM pipeline for the future.

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Read more about the skills gap in the water and environment sector in CIWEM's Your Future Report. For more CIWEM news updates, sign up to The Environment newsletter, our free monthly news round up.

Vicky Roberts is principal consultant (site evaluation and restoration) at Arcadis