East Midlands Science Educators Debate Careers Of The Future, UK

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Article Date: 22 Apr 2009 - 6:00 PDT

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Science or the City? Are students more likely to opt for promising careers in science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) over the appeal of rewards in City jobs? Just one of the themes likely to crop-up as leading science educators and careers professionals meet in Loughborough for the fourth East Midlands STEM Partnership Forum on Wednesday 29 April 2009.

Henry Ford College plays host to the East Midlands Development Agency (emda)-funded 'Gathering Momentum' event just as the government's national ad-campaign 'see where they can take you', linked to http://www.scienceandmaths.net, seeks to attract pupils to careers as diverse as marine biology, sound engineering and cosmetics.

Guests to 'Gathering Momentum' will hear how the national campaign is progressing from Pat Morton, Project Manager for the Government's new careers project - STEM Subject Choice and Careers - and more about the role of the new National STEM Careers Co-ordinator. With over twenty years experience in the built environment industry sector, Pat is now Principal Lecturer with the Centre for Science Education (CSE) at Sheffield Hallam University.

"There is a real urgent need to ensure we have enough scientists and engineers to help solve the global challenges we are facing - for instance in energy conservation and to cope with climate change, yet young people are often unaware of the breadth of careers available that can lead from science and maths. We need young people to be aware that maths and science can open doors, widen prospects and help survival of the planet! The STEM careers campaign aims to bring everyone together to maximise our impact."

Delegates looking for inspiration and ideas to excite pupils even more towards science will be directed to the new STEM Careers Education, Information, Advice and Guidance Pack which was launched on 1st April. This guide has a huge amount of information and resources to help careers professionals in the promotion of STEM subjects including a case study on the UK space industry by Anu Ojha, Director of Education and Space Communications at the National Space Centre and Project Director of the Space Academy Programme who will also speak at the event. Other speakers include Rick Hall, Director of Programmes, Ignite! David Wilkinson, Regional Officer, Midlands, Institute of Physics and a local STEM Student Journalist.

Commenting on the activities of the STEM Partnership, Andrew Morgan, emda's Skills and Communities Director, said: "By bringing together key partners in this way, we aim to strengthen the links between education professionals, business representatives, and most importantly, young people interested in the STEM agenda. Over the long term, our investment in STEM activity will help to bring real economic benefits to the region through a more dynamic, flexible and highly skilled workforce that will help businesses remain competitive and profitable."

Notes

STEM Partnership - Gathering Momentum
Date: Wednesday 29 April 2009
Time: 9.00-1.30pmVenue: Henry Ford College, Loughborough, LE11 3UZ
Book now at http://www.stemforumevent.eventbrite.com

The STEM Careers Awareness Campaign is being delivered by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and its partners. This campaign comprises a range of initiatives to improve STEM careers awareness and uptake and is aimed at students, parents, teachers and Information, Advice and Guidance providers.

The campaign is in response to Action Programme 8 of the National STEM Programme: 'All young people to be made aware of STEM career opportunities and well prepared to develop skills needed to pursue them.'

The careers campaign has four initiatives:

1. Integrated communication campaign, including the adverts and http://www.scienceandmaths.net
2. Future Morph website http://www.futuremorph.org for 11 to 19 year olds.
3. Careers awareness resources, providing support to schools, teachers, careers education and IAG professionals in the form of online tools.
4. Careers awareness timeline, designed to establish a more coherent structure for young people to learn about careers relating to science and maths during KS3.

About emda's STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Maths) programme

Launched in early 2008, emda's STEM programme marks a £6m investment over three years in a range of projects to support the development of STEM skills in the East Midlands and increase the level of STEM literacy in the population.

There are seven key elements to emda's STEM programme. These include:

1. The East Midlands STEM Partnership - the voice of science, technology, engineering and mathematics education in the region. Through its members, the Partnership provides the stimulation, skills and support for STEM professionals of the future. Coordinated on emda's behalf by The Marketing Division (TMD), it aims to:

Join up regional STEM activity across schools, further and higher education
Work on the solutions for gaps in provision
Promote opportunities and programmes to the STEM education and business audiences
Present a model of best practice to other regions
2. The National Space Academy - The first of its kind in the country, the Academy has been set up at the National Space Centre in Leicester with support from partners at the University of Leicester, the University of Nottingham, the Regional Science Learning Centre for the East Midlands, STEMNET and emda.

The focus of the Space Academy is to:

Deliver space-related STEM education programmes linked to the national science curriculum for learners from secondary school up to college and university;
Link with employers, with particular focus on the space and aerospace sectors the region;
Provide educational resources and training opportunities for teachers and educators that fit the national STEM agenda and the new STEM curriculum.

3. Lab in a Lorry - emda has invested in the Institute of Physics' (Institute of Physics) 'Lab in a Lorry' for a three-year period from October 2007 to September 2010. During this time, the interactive mobile physics laboratory will be visiting schools, universities and public areas across the region to enable young people to explore science through hands-on experiments. The tour is being managed on emda's behalf by STEMNET (a national, Government-funded organisation that promotes STEM opportunities) in conjunction with its sub-regional partners, called STEMPOINTS (networks hosted at a local level to facilitate links between education and the wider STEM community).

4. 'Ignition*' - Run by Creative Partnerships and Ignite! with emda funding, 'Ignition*' is an inspiring programme of activities, competitions and workshops that will engage young people - both in and out of school - from across the region to encourage creative thinking skills in relation to STEM subjects. http://www.ignitefutures.org.uk/ignition/home/

5. Nanowhat? - The East Midlands Nanotechnology Roadshows - coordinated by The University of Nottingham, these events took 'totally tiny technology' to the people of the East Midlands during the spring and summer months of 2008. emda contributed funding to enable those exciting public events - which have been developed in collaboration with the region's universities and Local Authorities - to take place.

6. Engineering Development Trust (EDT) STEM Programme - This aims to develop an integrated programme of work related engineering and technology activities available to 13-21 year olds from across the East Midlands. This EDT programme provides challenging opportunities to young people interested in engineering and gives them an insight into what it is like to work in an engineering or technology business in the region.

7. East Midlands Science and Technology Awards - emda has allocated funds into a bursary scheme to encourage more students to study science-based courses at university. The bursaries are known as EMSTAs (East Midlands Science and Technology Awards) and are available at the region's nine universities. EMSTA Awards are financial support of £1,000 a year (for three years of undergraduate study) for selected students from the region, accepted on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) full-time undergraduate degree courses in the East Midlands. The initiative is a partnership between emda, the East Midlands Universities Association (EMUA) and Aimhigher East Midlands.

About emda

East Midlands Development Agency (emda) is one of nine Regional Development Agencies in England, set up in 1999 to bring a regional focus to economic development.

Ten years on, independent evaluation shows emda has:

Had a significant impact on the region's economy
Generated economic benefits that substantially outweigh its overall costs
Put back over £9 of economic output (or GVA) into the regional economy for every £1 it spends
Produced more than £1 billion in economic benefits per year
A wider impact on people, places and businesses in the East Midlands that cannot be captured by figures alone
emda is committed to supporting the region through the current downturn and has put in place a range of measures to provide real help during these challenging times.
Over the long term, emda's aim is to deliver the 2006 Regional Economic Strategy (RES) by working in partnership with public, private and voluntary organisations. The RES highlights the themes of productivity, sustainability and equality and sets out key priorities until 2020 to ensure the vision for 'a flourishing region' can be achieved. For more details visit http://www.emda.org.uk

Source
East Midlands Development Agency