Other

• helping young people at risk of becoming early leavers to remain in education and training and qualify;
• helping early leavers to reintegrate into education or training and the labour market.

The grant is provided with the aim of balancing and encouraging brain circulation through returning researcher grants.

The Estonian state attaches importance both to international researchers coming to Estonia to work and to the return of Estonian researchers who have gone abroad to work, to facilitate the application of knowledge and experience acquired abroad in Estonia. In addition to balancing emigration, we contribute to ensuring the future growth of researchers and engineers.

Within the project the partners will develop pedagogical material for facilitating the inclusion ofrefugees in educational systems in order to enable social integration and a reduction of unemployment rates of the adolescents concerned.

The members of the SEER Network will work together to produce state of art knowledge on STE(A)M education,
collect pedagogical resources for teachers and schools, and collaborate to build the foundations
of the SEER Roadmaps.

Girl Tech Fest is an initiative which aims to increase girls’ interest in science and technology. During Girl Tech Fest girls aged 10-12 are invited to a local library where the girls get to try programming and different technologies themselves. The programme is organised by NCSR in cooperation with IKT-Norway, Oda-network (organization for women working in ICT), TENK - Tech network for women (organization for women to inspire an encourage more girls to choose an education within technology) 

While girls’ interest in science and technology decreases from around age 10-12 the boys’ interest does not decrease the same way (see: Corneliussen, H. G., et.al. (2021) Evaluering av Jenter og teknologi). That is why NCSR in cooperation with the partners listed above want to give the girls a day with only girls, where they can play and learn with technology on their own terms. As part of the programme, the girls meet female role models who work or study within technology, which may help them see themselves in such academical fields.   

Currently, the NCSR is the national coordinator or project leader of Girl Tech Fest. This includes responsibility for the main event in Oslo and contact with, and support of, local libraries all around the country. Even though the coordination is done by NCSR, the project group is a collaboration between people from all four organizations involved.

The main objective of the program is to increase girls’ interest in technology, and in a longer term: increase the number of girls that choose to study and work within technology and programming. On process-level, the programme aims to spread Girl Tech Fest all around the country and increase the number of locations and girls who participate.   

At the core of UCL's 50.50 Engineering Engagement Strategy is the aim to strengthen and diversify the engineering workforce, by encouraging young people from a wide range of backgrounds - especially young girls - to consider career pathways both ‘in’ and ‘from’ engineering. The initiative focuses on sustained, meaningful engagement, designing programmes that are based in engineering’s real social, ethical, environmental and humanitarian contexts. UCL wants young people to appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of engineering. The programme focuses on gender equality and inclusion, both for the course design and pupil participation, and promote diversity in every sense. Through the 50.50 Initiative, UCL has been able to create a step change in the representation of girls, women and ethnic minorities across all our STEM engagement programmes.

The 50.50 UCL Engineering Engagement Initiative focuses on six key priorities

1. Promoting gender equality and inclusion
2. Learning through experimental engineering
3. Inspiring through relatable engineering role models
4. Discovering STEM career pathways
5. Prioritising early intervention
6. Supporting teachers through professional development

The programme is linked to the UK government’s “Girls Education” and “Year of Engineering” programmes, as well as policies to get more girls into science and engineering careers and degrees.

As part of the initiative and partnership with EngineeringUK, Royal Academy of Engineering, Institute of Physics, Institute of Engineering & Technology and Institution of Mechanical Engineers, through the programme UCL co-developeds “Meet The Future You” (see background documents) based on real-life UCL engineers, with an emphasis on intersectionality and representation.

The UCL Engineering Mentoring programme, supports 1000-1500 young people every year, aged 14-19 years old, providing high quality tutoring, mental health support, a safe and quiet space to learn; books and digital equipment; healthy meals; and a personal mentor.

The objectives of the UCL Engineering Tutoring Programme are:

1. To bridge the education attainment gap for those most affected in terms of their access to educational opportunities.
2. To build resilience and self-confidence in young people. Enable, encourage and empower them. Increase their motivation and sense of achievement.
3. To support the most vulnerable children and young people, those in under-represented communities and from disadvantaged backgrounds.
4. To remove all barriers linked to digital poverty including lack of access to internet connection, devices, tools and more.

Access to tutoring is often limited to schools and parents that can most afford it. It is estimated that around 80% of disadvantaged pupils do not have access to quality tuition (Source: EEF).

In partnership with the government’s National Tutoring Programme (NTP) with EEF, Sutton Trust, Impetus Trust and Teach First, UCL offers secondary school pupils from under-served communities, free daily tutoring and mentoring sessions, throughout the school year. In March 2020, in response to the COVID19 pandemic, it was offered also as an online programme, and is now being offered as a hybrid model (both online and face-2-face).

The programme is linked to the government’s National Tutoring Programme (NTP) with EEF, Sutton Trust, Impetus Trust and Teach First and STEM Learning’s mentoring programme.

The STEM Literacy programme employs highly skilled and trained UCL Engineering student STEM Ambassadors, with unique expertise in their field, to volunteer in schools, acting as teacher assistants. Using  different mediating artefacts (posters, cards, other resources) to explore STEM in the classroom, as well as tailored STEM projects and UCL’s inclusive STEM books library “Curious Minds and Budding Engineers” for children and young people.

The programme's objectives are:

• Introduce children from an early age to the world of engineering, science and technology
• Improve literacy and numeracy skills in children and young people as well as understanding of STEM subjects and their relevance to everyday life
• Empower children to consider a wide range of STEM degree and career pathways
• Challenge stereotypes holding back children and young people – especially girls and ethnic minorities - from achieving their true potential

As part of the programme UCL created the “Curious Minds & Budding Engineers” STEM Book Library (see background documents) to celebrate women and ethnic minorities in STEM, featuring books like “Ada Twist Scientist”, “Detective Dot” and “My Mummy is an Engineer”.

“The Education test” is a research-based test that aims to inform young people or pupils about educations and professions within STEM.  The test was created by psychologist Helge Brovold (NTNU) and takes 10-15 minutes to complete. Based on four different factors – personality, preferred learning method, personal and professional interests, the test presents occupations within STEM that might be suitable. The test result provides the pupil with information about his or her personality traits, how he or she learns best, and suggest some STEM occupations that fits their personality. After taking the test, the pupils may discuss the result with their parents or friends, and further evaluate different studies, careers and job opportunities. The main target group are pupils in junior high school and students in high school, but the test is also used in some universities to examine the students preferred learning methods and further to adjust the teaching methods.

NCSR (the Norwegian national STEM platform) has done focus groups to learn more about how young people make their choice of education. Its findings show that most youths have little knowledge about careers within STEM and what kind of occupations are eligible after studying STEM.
The education test aims to address this by providing the pupils with new ideas about what one can study and work with within STEM. In tandem to the test, the NCSR runs campaigns in social media throughout the year to inform the target audience about the test and the importance of educational choices.

The main goal of the programme is to make the pupils reflect on their interest, personality and their learning preferences in relation to STEM. Furthermore, the goal is to make the target audience aware of the different educations and jobs within STEM. The programme aims to:

• Inspire youths to choose STEM subjects and careers
• Provide the student with ideas about education choices and occupations within STEM
• Expand their horizon when it comes to their choice of education

These objectives are aligned with the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training’s STEM strategy – “Close to STEM” (see background documents).

Aquí STEAM UPC is an initiative of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) to attract female talent to study technology and engineering. The programme is specifically aimed at girls between 9 and 14 years old in Catalonia. The program aims to break the stereotypes and gender roles established in society and make visible new female references in an attractive and close way for girls. The main objective of the e Aquí STEAM UPC is to:

• promote scientific-technological vocations, especially among primary school students
• break the stereotypes and gender roles associated with engineering and technology
• make visible new models and female referents in these fields
• empower girls and improve the knowledge of professionals linked to STEAM.

One of the key components of the project is a training programme aimed at teachers of primary and secondary schools, aimed at introducing a gender perspective in educational action, in accordance with the principles of co-education and equal opportunities. Schools participating in the project obtain:

1. Registration and free participation in the training program “How to incorporate STEAM actions in our schools. Designing action plans for primary and secondary education”, a workshop aimed at primary and secondary education teachers with didactic proposals to encourage scientific and technological vocations in the classroom from a gender perspective.
2. Recognition of schools that promote specific actions for gender equality and the promotion of scientific and technological vocations among their students through the Aquí STEAM UPC badge, which articulates the network of participating schools and institutes. The seal will establish a common framework for deploying pedagogical innovation projects in these areas in schools.
3. The registration and participation of schools in the program of activities to promote scientific and technological vocations organized by the UPC (talks, conferences, informative workshops, visits, etc.) in the framework of the actions of information and guidance of studies.
4. The creation of a space for the generation and experimentation of ideas and proposals that promotes new synergies between primary education and the University in the fields of the promotion of technological vocations and gender equality through a platform with practices , pedagogical resources for teachers, methodologies, activities for students, etc.