Destination STEM
Want to know how your school is engaging with STEM Ambassadors?
STEM Ambassadors can support young people in all sorts of ways, inside and outside the classroom, helping schools achieve the Gatsby Benchmarks.
Across the West Midlands there is a community of 1,400+ incredible volunteers signed up as STEM Ambassadors – all committed to making a difference to young people by giving up their time to share their experiences and highlight the value of STEM.
We know schools are busy places and it’s not always easy for a Careers Lead to capture and record all the careers activity that is going on. We are trialling a new offer. If you would like to receive an annual statement of engagement, outlining how STEM Ambassadors have volunteered at your school please complete this short form and our team will be in touch.
If you would like to find out more about the STEM Ambassadors programme and how they can support you in school please attend one of our weekly online sessions. Sign up here.
For employers
Student Placements & Experiences
Formally known as the Nuffield Placement Programme, this year we are looking for employers and organisations to offer students from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to complete a 1-week-long skills enhancing experience or 2-week project-based placement this summer (July 2024). Student applications have already been received ready to match to the right employers. Full support and guidance for employers is provided. To find out more about what is involved or to register please visit our website https://www.stem.org.uk/employers/research-placements
If you would like an informal initial chat regarding this opportunity, please do contact Clare, who is leading on this directly on clare@mindspark-wmids.co.uk
Destination STEM week 1st – 5th July 2024
Theme: Sustainability, with a particular focus on sustainable engineering
Are you an employer or organisation with something you’d like to share around sustainability with our audience of students, parents and careers advisors? From monitoring fish stocks to investing in the stock market, sustainability is key to our civilisation. We would welcome resources, talks (pre-recorded or otherwise), podcasts, images, co-curation opportunities, really anything that you think would be beneficial to showcasing the topic to signpost to and include during Destination STEM week.
To help organise your thinking we will have five thematic days:
| Sustainable Environment | Sustainable Engineering for Space | Sustainable Technology | Sustainable Energy | Sustainable Economy |
Do get involved to help enhance your company reputation by highlighting the role that sustainability plays in the economy and demonstrate exciting and dynamic career pathways that young people may not have considered previously.
Please do share this call to action with anyone you know who works in sustainability and would like the platform to discuss the important work that they do. If you would like to get involved please get in touch e.fryc@stem.org.uk
DBS Check update
Our STEM Ambassador Programme has undergone a change in how we DBS check our volunteers. Essentially this will streamline the process making it a less administrative process for volunteers to apply for their DBS. Applicants can use their existing biometric passports to complete the process. Since the start of the academic year there have been over 10,000 volunteering hours completed by STEM Ambassadors on the West Midlands. The social value and impact on young people is huge.
Being part of the Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire Careers Hub has been pivotal to the development of careers provision in our school. The Hub have shared good practice across their members resulting in a stronger focus on good quality provision. The annual event enabled the hub to share their vision of School Improvement Through The Lens of Careers and looking beyond the Benchmarks. It was a fantastic opportunity to share different models of school improvement and strategies to further develop careers provision to enhance the future opportunities of our young people.
Mrs A Spencer, John Taylor High SchoolIt it superb to be able to speak with local schools, colleges, and businesses in Stoke and Staffs and show how important the partnerships are to bring the skills of the future. Educating those who educate the ones shaping the aspirations of young people is essential for the industry to grow and be more sustainable.”
Alison Tucker, St Modwen
