Secondary Education

The University of Tartu Youth Academy programme (henceforth UTYA) is one of the longest running STEM promotion initiatives in Estiona (launched in 1965). The aim of UTYA is to create opportunities for the development of pupils who have already shown a deeper interest in science. The programme facilitates enriching a pupil´s knowledge beyond the usual school curriculum and also the resources to spend their leisure time meaningfully.

The UTYA organizes courses in three different levels and a range of subjects, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, life sciences, but also in linguistics, philosophy and other non-STEM areas. Some courses are correspondence courses conducted via ordinary mail and some are carried out using e-learning facilities. Pupils can participate either individually or as a group. There are no entrance requirements, although the programme requires pupils to be motivated and able to work independently.

The instructors of the courses are usually University of Tartu professors, researchers or students. Pupils get feedback on their work as well as after graduation from the course. Upon completion, participants receive a certificate from University of Tartu.

To enhance the pupils’ abilities and learning styles, the UTYA offers some testing facilities. Some of the tests can be taken online. In addition, for pupils who are interested in participating in different kinds of contests, the UTYA organizes national Olympiads in maths, physics, chemistry, informatics, biology, geography and other areas. When students perform well at national Olympiads they are given the opportunity to participate in international contests or Olympiads. Estonian teams have been taking part in such contests since 1992 and each year pupils have won several medals.

Through these activities as well as participation in other projects and events, the programme also contributes to popularising science and technology to the wider audience.

The main goal of the programme is to create opportunities for the development of pupils who have already shown a deeper interest in science. The programme does so by:

• offering optional science courses to pupils, mostly available online for students in grade 7 – 12
• providing financial grants to gifted students to promote studying in Estonia (instead of going abroad) through the ‘Talents to Targu’ sub-programme (since 2020)
• offering teaching resources to teachers that help organize individualized learning in classes and are useful for additional extracurricular activities
• offering teacher-training sessions to schools focused on gifted children's education and psychology.

The objectives of the programme are related to the Estonians' aim to build on a science-based economy and smart specialisation. In order to do that, there is a need to offer gifted pupil opportunities to develop themselves and have good opportunities in the country so that there would not be a need for gifted children to leave for the better opportunities.

The STEAMcat pedagogical innovation program (from here on: 'STEAMcat') is the first project launched within the STEAMcat plan, focused on (STEM) teacher training and assessing and improving STEM skills among students in primary and secondary education.

The STEAMcat plan is an initiative ('regional STEM strategy') of the Catalan Government that responds to the current shortages / labour market demands in specific sectors related to science and technology. The plan seeks to promote STEM among young people, especially girls, groups at risk of social exclusion and with a low socio-economic background. STEAMcat was developed by a working group made up of representatives of the Department of Education (coordinator) the Department of the Presidency (Secretariat for Telecommunications, Cybersecurity and the Digital Society), the Department of Business and Knowledge and each of the Catalan universities. The plan was officially presented on May 31, 2017 by the heads of the aforementioned ministries.

Each academic year, the STEAMcat programme selects 40 teachers (20 primary and 20 secondary) to participate in te STEAMcat programme. Selected teachers:

1. Carry out a STEAM center project for 3 years
2. Receive the designation of 'driving core' within their institution
3. Develop coordinating measures to coordinate actions between institutions
4. Participate in peer-learning events organised by the STEAMcat community
5. Collect and share activities within the project's community
6. Track progress of their STEAM center annually
7. Present a full evaluation of the outcome of their project

The STEAMcat pedagogical innovation supports participating schools through advice, the creation of the STEAMcat Community and by providing training and resources. Ultimately, the STEAMcat plan aims to raise STEM uptake among students in post-compulsary education by improving the perception of STEM as a career choice.

the Ministry of Education and Sports has been developing cooperation projects with leading entities in the aerospace industry, such as the European Space Agency (ESA) through the ESERO educational project, based in the Granada Science Park and Airbus Space, based in Seville. This type of collaboration has made it possible to verify the effectiveness of the STEAM methodology in general, and aerospace research in particular, in relation to increasing the capacities and competencies of students. Against this background, the General Directorate of Teacher Training and Educational Innovation has considered it essential to promote aerospace research projects, which favour the development and deepening of the basic competencies of students from the interdisciplinarity offered by a STEAM approach, putting the student in the role of a researcher focused on the advances of the aerospace study, its application to health research, technological advances in our society and advances in the prevention of climate change, in relation to the pillars of the Horizon Europe. In this context the Ministry of Education and Sports has launched the STEAM project «Aerospace Research applied to the classroom» which has as its main objective to bring the teaching staff and students of Andalusian public schools closer to the study and aerospace research applied to the classroom. The specific objectives of the project are:

• Train teachers in the manipulation of aerospace resources and kits provided by the European Space Agency and the Ministry of Education and Sport
• Guide participation in aerospace competitions
• Promote STEAM vocations in students, especially among female students, contributing to equal opportunities
• Guide teachers in planning aerospace visits

Solaride is a project for students who want to contribute hands-on to solving our dependence on fossil fuels. To do so, the students are building a working solar car and taking it to the ultimate test run in Australia in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge. The ultimate objective of Solaride is to promote engineering and its career options in Estonia.

The project gathers ambitious students from different fields, such as engineers, electronics, mechanics, software etc. from all over Estonia. The project has grown continuously into the size of an average company. Currently there are almost 70 team members. The team also has various prominent mentors from universities and companies to share their know-how with the students. Besides that, Solaride has strong support from cooperation with several Estonian universities and gives participating students the opportunity to gain practical knowledge and compete in an international competition. With this, the project promotes engineering and technology among the pupils and students.

The ultimate objective of Solaride is to promote engineering and its career options in Estonia. As a country Estonia faces a serious shortage of engineers and specialists, now and in the future. The overall aim of the project is to promote STEM career paths through hands-on experiences early on. The promotion of technology and engineering is therefore important to bring people to engineering and have the necessary workforce in the future. The programme also contributes to the development of innovation and science-based economy in Estonia. According to the analysis on the workforce needed in Estonia, in 10 to 15 years, 60% of the occupations are the kind of which we do not have today. Therefore, adapting with new and novel technology is critical.

The Merkuur programme has developed mobile workshops to introduce various trades, techniques and tools in the metal and wood industries to young people and to offer them hands-on opportunities to test the tasks associated with these trades in order to raise their career awareness and competitiveness in the fields of technology and engineering.

Merkuur has two mobile workshops and more than sixty different learning solutions to provide young people with hands-on opportunities to carry out tasks in metal and woodwork, electronics, bionics and many other engineering fields. The Mobile Workshops are self-built mobile classrooms and therefore workshop activities can take place all over Estonia. Schools, vocational school and other interested organizations can request the mobile classroom service at their premises.

In the beginning, the Mobile Workshop service and its activities were provided as a form of non-formal learning. Since 2018, the team has consistently worked on developing partnerships with various educational schools, vocational schools and colleges. Teachers and mentors of mobile workshops organise technology lessons, project days and hobby groups in schools. In addition to daily activities, the team has developed a modern methodological material used to introduce CNC equipment to young people and to implement their new knowledge both individually and in teams, while carrying out product development tasks, testing various material treatment methods and preparing metal and wood products with a real purpose.

The objective is to give young people practical knowledge about engineering and technology, which is measured by the number of kids participating in the activities of Mobile Workshop.

The objectives of the workshops are related to a broader government strategy to raise the popularity of engineering as a career choice due to the fact that Estonia is facing a shortage of engineers, failing to meet the current labour market demand as well as the expected demand in the future. In addition, the programme is associated with the aim to develop a research-intensive economy. By educating young people and giving them early access to hands-on engineering possibilities, it increases the interest of students in starting a career in engineering.

The objective of the Future Ways-programme is to improve the level of education of young people and to facilitate the transition to higher education in these subject areas. This objective was set by the government, in line with related government strategies for STEM. To support the implementation of the objective, the consortium partners implement a wide range of activites, spanning multiple education levels. These include:

1.  Experience-focused workshops focusing on innovation
2.  Innovative and interactive roadshows that arouse students’ interest in the profession
3.  Company visits at leading organizations
4.  Summer camps with career orientation and skills development modules
5.  Skills development workshops for the cumulatively disadvantaged
6.  Organization of open days at the universities
7.  Training of trainers for staff members
8.  The preparation and methodological guidelines of curriculum integration

The members of the consortium (higher education instituions) took part directly in the activities. For example, iin the design of the high school quiz, where playful yet professional and thought-provoking questions were formulated designed to arouse interest in the topic and technical training. The consortium partners also participated directly in the compilation and implementation of the summer camp program. In the camp, they provided lectures on technical care / engineering t raining, the transport of the future, self-driving and electric vehicles and their effects. The lectures were designed to be understandable for the target age-group. Furthermore, during the one-week camp, students were continuously mentored and participated in teams looking for innovative solutions to future mobility and urban problems. In particular, the interactive presentations and the direct conversation with the students were well-received. Mentors encouraged students by passing on their personal experiences. Students were able to hear first-hand about the courses, new research findings, and opportunities.

‘Choice of Education’ (Velgriktig) is a national website launched in 2009 that aims to inform young people, their parents and teachers about STEM education and careers. The website was developed following focus group research carried out by the National Centre for Science Recruitment (NCR) that showed that young people in Norway are insufficiently informed about the prerequisites (in terms of high school topics) of STEM higher education and pathways to STEM careers. The ‘Choice of Education’ website makes this information available for teachers and students in a clear and concise way.

The main objective of the ‘Choice of Education’ project is to provide information about which STEM-courses (secondary education) are required to enter various college and university programmes as well as to show students the opportunities that STEM degrees offer, inspiring them to choose STEM subjects and careers. ‘Choice of Education’ directly contributes to the objectives of ‘Close to STEM’ (the Norwegian national STEM strategy) of the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training (see background documents).

Norwegian companies are reporting a major need for technologists. Technical skilled workers, engineers and scientists are in high demand, and these are all fields where women are in distinct minority. The aim of the Girls and Technology-programme is therefore to increase the number of girls that choose education within technology fields – both practical and theoretical. 

The programme was founded in 2003. A partnership consisting of several social partners and the University of Agder came together to improve the recruitment of girls to the university's technology study programs. Through events with female role models, they were able to inspire and inform girls about the possibilities within technology education. 

The share of women in technology studies in Norway remains low. Currently 3-11% of technical vocational students are women (Statistics Norway, 2015). 20% of Norwegian engineering students are women (Norwegian Centre for Research Data, 2017). In light of this, the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) decided to upscale the project to a national level in 2016. With funding from the Ministry of Children and Equality the project has now been carried out for four years and continues in 2020. In 2018 The Norwegian Society of Engineers and Technologists (NITO) and The National Centre for STEM recruitment (NCR) joined the project to strengthen the team and expand the project further. Its objective is still to increase the share of women in technology studies. Technology in this context is defined according to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). Vocational training and education is included in the project goals. The three subgoals for the project are:

• To increase the share of women in STEM higher education
• To Increase the share of women in technical vocational education and training
• To Increase the share of women in technical vocational colleges

To achieve this the project is using young female role models, under education or with jobs within technology, to show and inform about the different opportunities you have as a young girl to make your first educational choices. It is also an important aim to show the variety in what technology is and how it can be be used to improve the world and contribute to a more sustainable society. Another important aspect of the project is to show the diversity of people, with different backgrounds and competence, that is necessary to develop technology suitable for all kinds of people and needs.  

The methodology that pervades all activities in the project is using young, female role models to motivate and inform about technology studies and work possibilities within technology (see related studies in background documents). The programme implements a wide variety of activities.

An annual national tour has been arranged since 2016. In 2019 the tour consisted of 17 separate events all over Norway. The target group was girls in year 9 and 10 of lower secondary school. Approximately 7000 girls participated altogether. Each event lasts for 3 hours, and consists of various short talks from role models, talk show-style chats with a moderator, short video clips, demonstration of new technologies and competitions and workshops to increase the interaction between the audience and the role models. A success factor for the individual talks was the balance between personal experience and information about a given field of education or occupation. For each event we secured a variety of backgrounds – from various technology fields, and different levels of education to fulfil each individual subgoal as described below. In addition, career counselors and teachers were invited to the event and provided with posters and info material about STEM education pathways.

In 2019 Girls and Technology also hosted two live streams on YouTube. The format of the live streams was similar to the national tour events but limited to 45 minutes. Girls from year 9 and 10 in lower secondary school were invited to participate and the live streams had more than 3000 viewers. In addition, the Girls and Technology network of universities organized local Girls and Technology events on one shared day in February. The target group for these events were girls aged between 15-19. 8 universities participated in a total of 7 events, and a total of 1850 girls participated. There were also stands with various activities during the breaks (more information on the programme's reach below).

In 2020 the physical tour was replaced by a digital tour with 11 live streams, one for each county. The streams were modified to each county with local role models and representatives from regional industries. A total of 9 600 girls in grade 9 and 10 attended the live streams. 

In connection with the national tours in 2017-2019, NHO, The Norwegian Society of Engineers and Technologists (NITO) and NCR conducted a national competition for Technology students to win a study trip to NASA in Houston. The competition got significant attention at universities, in social media and in traditional media. The six winners got to experience a dream week of meeting astronauts, engineers, flight directors and many others working with space technology. The trip was communicated through daily updates on all social medias, and a film was produced after the trip (video 3). Most importantly, the winners were used as role models in the national Girls and Technology tour. Their presentations about the trip and space technology were tremendously popular among the girls in the audience. In 2020 the prize was a trip to Svalbard which also generated a lot of attention amongst students.

In adittion to the annual tour, social media and traditional media is used to reach girls year round and also to reach parents and career councelors.

STEM Ondernemers voor de Klas (‘STEM entrepreneurs in the classroom’), or ‘STEM OvK’. Is an initiative of the Flemish organisation ‘Vlaamse Jonge Ondernemingen’ (VLAJO) aimed at engaging students with STEM-driven entrepreneurship at a young age. The programme is a spin-off of the existing ‘Ondernemers voor de Klas’ (‘Entrepeneurs in the classroom’ – OVK) initiative. The programme facilitates guest-lectures by STEM entrepreneurs in STEM courses that provide context to the curriculum, highlighting the practical application and opportunities of STEM in enterprises and the link between STEM and societal challenges like climate change, healthcare, etc. Each guest-lecture is followed by a ‘wrap-up’ and evaluation organised by the teacher (supported by VLAJO).

Guest-lecturers are matched to schools in their geographic vicinity by a matching-programme (supported by a programme coordinator). After a school has been selected, the guest lecturer provides a one-hour guest lecture with time for questions. Each school year is kicked-off by a ‘boegbeeld’ (programme ambassador), a high-level company representative who’s guest lecture is used for broader campaigning purposes (and often covered by national media).

The main goal of the project is to enthuse students (14-18 years) for (STEM) entrepreneurship. On the organisational level VLAJO sets yearly benchmarks for the number of guest lectures, number of lecturers, number students and number of teachers. In addition, the quality of the activities is assessed through a questionnaire among participating teachers and guest-lecturers.

#STEMhelden ('STEM heroes') is a media campaign consisting of short films for 10-14 year olds, their parents and their teachers.  The videos show that different STEM-profiles in companies solving a problem that effect the society, with a lot of attention for gender-sensitive language and images.

The objective of the initiative is to encourage more young people, and specifically girls, to enroll in STEM education and STEM oriented VET. Flanders, like so many countries, suffers from a shortage of STEM-profiles. The shortage of girls in STEM-jobs in particular is certainly remarkable. The shortage of girls is very clearly visible in more practically-oriented STEM-education in secondary schools (15-18 years of age). In Flanders, young people aged 15 and over can choose a study program. That is why it is important to provide them with an inspiring picture of what a job as a #STEMhero could look like before the age of 15.

During the Corona crisis, the health and care-professions were rightly praised, but it was less visible that the STEM professionals ensured that the country kept going. Think for example about the supply of electricity, the availability of the internet, etc. These are stories that the #STEM heroes series tries to tell.

The concept is always the same: a theoretically trained STEM professional and a practically trained STEM professional show how, together, they ensure that their company can solve a socially relevant problem. Examples include recycled plastic, safer and more environmental friendly cars, safety of money in the bank, easy access to job vacancies on the labour market,...

In Flanders, there are many STEM-initiatives, mostly independent of each other. The project of the STEM heroes links all the initiatives through a HUB operation. STEM is already embedded in their own regular functioning and the #STEMheroes helps strengthening the reach and impact of existing initiatives. The project is currently being organized by the Flemish STEM-platform and Technopolis.