Progress and expectations of enrollment in STEM careers in Ecuador

Abstract

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) careers are fundamental to technological, economic and social development worldwide, which is why the demand for professionals trained in these areas has increased significantly in the last decade. This study analyzes the evolution of undergraduate enrollment in general and in STEM careers in face-to-face mode in Ecuador from 2015 to 2023. Variables such as type of financing, geographic distribution, field of study and enrollment by sex are considered, both in general and by STEM careers. In addition, future enrollment in STEM careers by sex is projected for students from the country's Polytechnic Schools. In addition, the study analyzes the impact of the type of financing on enrollment. It is observed that public institutions concentrate the largest number of students in STEM careers, while private institutions have a lower participation in these areas. This suggests that opportunities for access to STEM education depend largely on government funding and support policies. One of the most relevant findings is the constant growth of engineering enrollment, which has remained between 15% and 16% of total students since 2016. On the other hand, enrollment in mathematics has experienced a considerable drop, going from 13.84% in 2015 to only 2.92% in 2023. In contrast, ICT degrees have shown significant growth, reflecting increasing digitalization and labor market demand in areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and data analysis. Analysis by sex shows a persistent gender gap in STEM degrees.