As the world’s largest healthcare company, Johnson & Johnson recognise their role in society and how as an organisation they can be a catalyst for positive change towards racial and social equality. The ambition to develop a new young people’s programme is in line with Our Race to Health Equity ambition, and to proactively accelerate progress for Johnson & Johnson to attract and support a diverse and inclusive workforce, ensuring all talent has equal opportunity to thrive.
The Johnson & Johnson STEM Scholars Programme
On 9 December 2021, Johnson & Johnson launched an innovative programme in the UK to help drive a more diverse health care workforce and ensure that all young people have equal opportunity to pursue a career in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
The Educational Outcomes of Black Pupils and Students (House of Commons 2020 briefing paper) showed that in England, young people from Black ethnic groups are less likely to obtain high grades, enter ‘prestigious’ universities, end up in a ‘highly-skilled’ job, study further, or have career satisfaction, and this programme aims to help address that inequity.
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There are such a variety of different career experiences across Johnson & Johnson that build on STEM training. I believe these talented STEM students should have every opportunity to excel in their chosen field, and we hope by giving them mentoring and work experience it will help them to build the awareness of potential opportunities, areas of interest and personal networks that can help propel their success!
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The Johnson & Johnson STEM Scholars Programme has been specifically created to support Black students in London studying STEM in further education. It is aimed at those who have the potential to excel in a career in STEM but lack access or knowledge of routes into their chosen career.
The 5-year programme is championed by Johnson & Johnson Innovation. It will support 25 selected London-based school students currently in Year 12 for two years, and a cohort of these students for a further three years, including a paid internship, during their time at university.
As part of the programme, each student has been matched with a Johnson & Johnson mentor, who will support them on their STEM Scholar journey and guide them on any challenges they may face.
Since January, the students have taken part in 3 virtual monthly workshops to build their understanding of the healthcare industry and STEM careers, which will provide them with the knowledge, tools and access they need to pursue their chosen career.
In April, we welcomed the STEM Scholars students into the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Centre in London for our first ever in-person workshop.
The session was set up to provide insight and inspiration for STEM careers in medicine and engineering, two specific paths the students have the most passion to follow.
One of the guest speakers was our Programme Ambassador, George Imafidon, Performance Engineer @Team X44 and CEO @Motivez who shared the story of his personal journey from school.

More workshops are planned, and the academic year will culminate in July with a Work Experience Week at Johnson & Johnson facilities across the UK. This will enable students to gain `real life’ experience, helping to enhance their university applications, CVs, and employment prospects.
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At Johnson & Johnson UK, a key priority is to invest in the next generation of health care talent and to ensure that young people everywhere have the opportunity to fulfil their dreams, regardless of their ethnicity, background or circumstances. This programme will help build a more diverse talent pool for Johnson & Johnson and create a stronger and more resilient health care workforce.
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