The Swindon & Wiltshire Initiative was recently involved in helping the Engineering Development Trust - a not for profit organisation that encourages school pupils to get into science & engineering - deliver Go4SET.
The Go4SET programme is designed to link Year 8/9 pupils with employers and universities, who act as mentors to the students as they embark on a challenging 10-week Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Project.
Five schools in the South West, including St John’s School in Marlborough, entered teams of six students, who were tasked with designing an eco-factory for manufacturing electric vehicles.
I acted as a mentor for two school teams taking on the challenge.
Ten weeks of hard work on the design projects led up to evaluation day, where pupils presented their projects to a panel of judges from GE aviation, TE Connectivity and BMW.
After some lengthy deliberations over the awarding of prizes under the headings of pupil’s choice, innovation and eco-factory, I am delighted to share that one of the St Johns teams, (TEAM) was awarded top honours in the eco-factory category.
It was fantastic to see such enthusiasm for STEM subjects among the students throughout the project, particularly given that we know that skills shortages is one of the most frequently reported barriers to business growth.
In Swindon specifically, there are a number of large employers that require STEM skills, and they will be pleased that young people are taking an interest in STEM education and careers early on in secondary school. Particularly in light of Swindon’s Institute of Technology bid - to develop a distinct, technical educational offering at further and higher levels (levels 4-7), as part of a broader STEM skills agenda.
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