A quarter of 14- to 18-year olds said they would rather follow in the footsteps of innovator Mark Zuckerberg (23%) or tech genius Bill Gates (28%) than household names such as Ed Sheeran (17%), David Beckham (9%) or Kylie Jenner (9%), according to research from BAE Systems.

The study has uncovered a surprising shift in perception of STEM among young people, revealing that over half of 14- to 18-year-olds (56%) deem maths to be the most valuable subject for their future career prospects, followed by English (50%) and science (42%).

Two thirds (62%) of those currently studying STEM have also said they are likely to carry these subjects over to university.

The findings were released as BAE Systems, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy again came together to launch this year’s nationwide Schools Roadshow; now in its 13th year, this aims to “inspire school pupils about STEM” through the largest-ever schools programme of its kind.

This year’s Schools Roadshow focuses on maths, with a series of workshops and demonstrations to showcase various applications of the subject, from robotics and coding through to the use of maths in iPhone technology — and even magic.

Richard Hamer, BAE Systems’ education and early-careers director (www.baesystems.com), said: “It is great to see more young people considering a degree or a career in STEM and becoming more aware of the exciting opportunities available to them through these subjects.

"At BAE Systems, our engineers work in a variety of different roles, from designing submarines for the Royal Navy to developing innovative virtual-reality technology for leading athletes to improve their performance — or even working on wearable tech for the British Army and the latest fighter jets for the Royal Air Force.

“Initiatives like the Schools Roadshow are so important, especially as this is the Year of Engineering, to ensure that we continue to excite young minds and inspire the next generation of scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians.”

The Schools Roadshow, BAE Systems’ flagship education programme, will be heading to 420 schools in 2018, reaching 95,000 young people.