'Driving Success through STEM' conference - South East

Regional STEM event - South East

5 April 2011, in partnership with 3M

Senior leaders from schools and colleges across the South East participated in this event, where presentations and workshops facilitated by local speakers stimulated discussion throughout the afternoon. This page provides the presentations, together with a summary of participants' feedback on priorities from their school or college regarding STEM, and the key messages they were taking away from the event.

Available presentations may be downloaded from the bottom of this page.

Presentations and workshops

  • Welcome and introduction
    Yvonne Baker, CEO, MyScience
  • Employer's viewpoint
    David Cook, General Manager, 3M
  • Head to head
    Alun Williams, Director of Engineering, Faringdon Community College
  • The importance of STEM to UK plc
    Jan Kershaw, STEM Projects Liaison Manager, University of Reading
  • Engaging with STEM Careers
    Katy Bloom, Engineering and Technology Specialist, National STEM Centre

What are participants' priorities for STEM?

  • Use the STEM route to further develop links to employers
  • Strengthen student and staff involvement with workplace learning
  • Develop Maths and Science teachers to have a STEM approach to enrichment
  • Explore opportunities within the curriculum to make more explicit links to, and to market, STEM careers to raise pupils' aspirations
  • CPD - involving the training-up of a STEM Coordinator
  • Ensure that all managers and staff in the STEM areas are trained in recruitment, promotion and dealing effectively with women entering STEM professions

What key messages from the event do participants view as most important?

  • Continuing progress in using the school's STEM Club to enthuse students and increase A-level uptake
  • Making use of / creating extra-curricular clubs such as Young Engineers
  • Cross-curricular collaboration to raise the profile of STEM and to develop pupils' problem-solving skills
  • Provide even more careers guidance to students
  • Ensure all teaching materials promote the STEM agenda

How can schools and colleges best inform students about STEM-related careers and progression routes?

  • Extend careers advice within science, particularly to sixth form students
  • Using the STEM programme to further develop and strengthen existing WRL programme; to also include employment days and careers events in school
  • Advertise more STEM-type careers and raise aspirations of pupils to encourage more of them to study STEM at KS5 and beyond
  • Actively promote women in these areas through marketing materials and existing employer links