News Archive
HEFCE picks Birmingham to roll-out STEM agenda
Institute of Physics
16 December 2008
The Institute of Physics and the Royal Academy of Engineering have responded to the University of Birmingham’s announcement that it has been chosen to host the National Higher Education Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Programme, a Higher Education Funding Council England (HEFCE) funded initiative to increase the number of graduates with skills in these disciplines, to fulfil the needs of employers and boost the UK economy.
Much of the programme that Birmingham will take on has been informed by pilot programmes run in different areas of the country by the learned societies, including the Institute of Physics (IOP) and the Royal Academy of Engineering.
IOP has for three years run the Stimulating Physics programme which has involved launching a new degree, the Integrated Sciences Degree, to help more students into physics-based learning; the Teacher Fellow Scheme which has provided an important link for first year undergraduates, easing the transition between school and university; helping train non-specialist physics teachers with bespoke lesson planning; repackaging of physics degrees to appeal to a wider audience; and industry visits for school students to show what exciting opportunities a good grounding in science opens up.
Professor Peter Main, Director, Education and Science at the IOP, said, “The University of Birmingham has an excellent reputation in science and engineering and is extremely well-placed to work with the professional bodies to develop the new, coordinated STEM programme and to make a real difference to the demand for STEM subjects. The Institute has already been working with the University as part of Stimulating Physics and we look forward to strengthening our links further.”
The Royal Academy of Engineering has run the highly successful London Engineering Project (LEP), which has brought together a partnership of national organizations with 50 London schools to involve more women, black and ethnic minority students into engineering. The LEP has worked in schools and colleges in the London boroughs of Southwark, Lambeth, Lewisham, Tower Hamlets and Newham. Using initiatives like after-school engineering club, E-mentoring and engineering summer schools to stimulate interest in engineering as a career.
“Engineering is at the centre of society,” says Professor Matthew Harrison, Director of Education programme at the Royal Academy of Engineering, “There has never been a more pressing time to develop more young engineers to help us innovate our way out of the current recession. We have been delighted with the response to the LEP since we started working on it with HEFCE in 2005 and we look forward to working with HEFCE and the University of Birmingham to develop the full national STEM programme.”
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