School-company collaboration

The SEER Network

Short summary: 

The STE(A)M Education European Roadmap is proud to announce the creation of the SEER
Network, that gathers leading and pioneering STE(A)M Education stakeholders, teacher training
institutions, STEM industry representatives, and educational research organisations.
By taking part in the SEER exchange activities during the duration of the project, 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.
The members of the SEER Network will participate in focus groups, seminars, and other exploratory
activities to discuss, share, and identify challenges and opportunities that will pave the way toward
a STE(A)M future for all European students and schools.

Description and objectives: 

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.

Country: 
Logo or photo: 
Organisation: 
The STE(A)M Education European Roadmap
Impact: 

The impact has not yet been realized.

Reach: 

The SEER Network includes the EU STEM Coalition, the SEER consortium, and the STEM Alliance. 

Budget and funding model: 

Not relevant. 

Title (dropdown menu): 
Year start: 
2023
Status: 
data_page_icon_programme: 

Together for STEM

Short summary: 

Together 4 STEM Collaborative Platform aims to accelerate and scale business activities to promote inclusive STEM education and careers through sustainable business collaboration and active industry-education bridge-building.

Description and objectives: 

The objectives of Together4STEM programme in 2023 are deployed into 2 Workstreams:

  1. Strengthen business-education initiatives to inspire and empower young people in STEM

  2. Ensure a smooth transition to work for current and future generations.

The 2 Workstreams aims respectively to: Learn, Share & Co-create:

  • Amplify the impact of company STEM initiatives by developing a common methodology and share best practices

  • Strengthen existing company STEM initiatives by exchanging knowledge and provide insights at EU level

    Pool Companies learning content for stronger impact:

  • Pool together existing resources in the format of a website (e.g. STEM@Home) and

    written material to be disseminated (e.g. Climate Education Toolkit)

  • Analyse educational perspectives and needs for online platforms by organizing

    Teacher Working Groups

    Local Collaboration:

  • Build Local STEM Networks to organize school activities supported by the Climate

    Education Toolkit

  • Gain knowledge on quality of materials by measuring impact through activities

    - How are they measured / what are the KPI’s?
    Before 2023: Outreach/visitors STEM@Home website, Downloads of the Climate Education Toolkit From 2023 on: Together 4 STEM will conduct an impact measurement after all activities organised under the 2023 plan. The survey will measure the impact and quality of the platform's materials and activities.

    - Do these objectives relate to a broader (government) strategy? If so, which one (link) and how?

  • Pact for Youth: The aim of the European Pact for Youth was to improve partnerships

    between business and education to boost the chances of young people getting jobs. The Pact, initiated by CSR Europe is an appeal to business, social partners, education and training providers and other stakeholders to develop or consolidate partnerships in support of youth employability and inclusion. Together 4 STEM project emerged from this pact and will continue its legacy and serve as an example to build bridges between education and business.

  • European Year of Youth 2022: In 2022 “Together 4 STEM Goes Green” was announced in May and launched its Climate Education Toolkit later in October. This initiative contributed directly to the objectives of the Year, namely

o To make young people aware of the opportunities provided by the green and digital transitions;

o To help young people become more engaged and active citizens;

• European Year of Skills 2023: The European Year of Youth mission remains a deployment point and continues to live on in the European Year of Skills 2023. Therefore, Together 4 STEM remains committed to this and the programme is oriented on the importance of

putting young people at the heart of this European Year, in order to bring about a change of mindset in lifelong learning and the further acquisition of STEM skills.

Country: 
Education level: 
Logo or photo: 
Organisation: 
CSR Europe
Impact: 
  • Collaboration among business leaders in STEM to foster dialogue on the narrative

  • Development of sustainable learning resources in scientific areas for students

  • Inspire students to pursue STEM careers and education worldwide

    - How is this measured? N/A

    - Are there any specific objectives set related to this impact? For 2023

• Receive collective feedback and impressions from around 100 teachers, students and educational organisations on activities and materials developed through an impact measurement survey. Questions will include how the activities affect their interest in STEM, how the activities have impacted their preconceptions, etc...

Reach: 
  • Virtual outreach through workshops, webinars and roundtables of about 400 participants worldwide including companies, NGOs, national partners, educational organisations, institutions, etc.

  • Outreach/Users STEM@Home website statistics between 2020 and 2023 approximately 2.2K a year.

  • Downloads Climate Education Toolkit approximately 500 times by Businesses, NGOs, National Partners, Education Organisations, Institutions, etc...

    - What are the programmes’ objectives in terms of reach? For 2023

  • Virtual outreach through workshops, webinars and roundtables of about 400 participants worldwide, including companies, NGOs, national partners, educational organisations, institutions, etc.

  • Organisation of 2 educational activities in 2 European countries (Belgium and Italy) to test the Climate Education Toolkit materials, working with at least 2-3 local schools and/or education centres.

  • Receive collective feedback and impressions from around 100 teachers, students and educational organisations on activities and materials through an impact measurement survey

  • Create concept note for revision of STEM@Home prepared by collective feedback from at least 15 teachers employed in STEM areas.

Budget and funding model: 

Funded by Together 4 STEM Partner Companies: Huawei, Toyota and Unipol Group.

Title (dropdown menu): 
Year start: 
2019
Status: 
data_page_icon_programme: 

Mobile Bioclass

Short summary: 

The Mobile Bioclass programme brings the latest DNA testing and research methods to secondary schools all over Estonia. In small, high-intensity workshops students experience the opportunities of the biosciences-sector first hand under the supervision of university instructors. The programme has contributed to a significant rise in the number of students opting to study bio-sciences.

Description and objectives: 

The Mobile Bioclass project started in Estonia in 2014 with the aim to introduce the biosciences in Estonian schools. The programme brought the latest DNA testing and research methods to schools all over Estonia.

 

The Mobile Class project started originally in Lithuania by Thermo Fisher Scientific and has since been the main collaboration partner for the University of Tartu (project coordinator). Thermo Fisher Scientific is providing the project with laboratory tools and equipment ever since. The instructors of the programme are University of Tartu students mainly from science and technology faculty.

 

The main target group for the Mobile Bioclass is high school students. The project also aims to bring its programme to the smaller schools that otherwise do not have the possibilities to visit research laboratories and universities.

 

The programme lasts for about six hours and is for 24 students at the time with 6 instructors. The necessary tools for the programme are brought to the school from University of Tartu. The programme consists of a lecture (about four hours) and practical experiment (about two hours). The programme uses a DNA PCR analysis as its practical part to consolidate the theoretical knowledge.

 

The objective of the project is to popularize biosciences and introduce the modern methods for researching DNA and technology used in the biotechnology laboratories. As a result, the project increases the knowledge about the learning opportunities of biology and gene technology. The objective is to visit one school per week during a school year with the emphasis on smaller schools.

 

The objectives are measured by the number of schools the Mobile Class has visited and the number of kilometers traveled doing that.

Country: 
Education level: 
Logo or photo: 
Organisation: 
University of Tartu /Thermo Fisher Scientific
Impact: 

The number of students admitted to the science and technology field in the University of Tartu has grown 17%, meaning that the programme is motivating students to study the field. This is one of the indicators measuring the long-term impact.

 

However, the feedback is gathered after every visit to the school that gives an input to the programme's overall impact on the (mostly) biology subject in the schools. The programme is rated highly by the teachers and according to them, it adds a priceless value to the theoretical knowledge that is taught in schools. Moreover, the programme has a bigger impact in the schools located in remote areas of Estonia since they do not have many opportunities to visit research laboratories or have many extracurricular activities.

 

The feedback is gathered after every school visit from the participating students and teachers. It is analysed in short term, but also long term. The results are being presented to the organizing team to improve the programme.

Reach: 

Within one school year, the Mobile Bioclass programme visits about 20 schools and 480 high school students. In addition to that, Mobile Bioclass participates in the biggest events (Science Night, International DNA Day etc) with its pop-up laboratory, adding about 2 000 additional people to the list every year.

 

The objective of the programme is to visit one school in a week during the school year.

Budget and funding model: 

The Mobile Bioclass is funded by Thermo Fisher Scientific (mainly providing tools and equipment), but also by Estonian Research Council by the funding project TeaMe+. The funding is directly not associated with the outcomes or performance.

Title (dropdown menu): 
Year start: 
2014
Status: 
data_page_icon_programme: 

IT24

Short summary: 

IT24 is a project organised by the Basque Institute of Telecommunication Engineers. The programma seeks to inspire young people to be technology leaders and solve problems in their lives and their community. It is aimed at young people from 12 upwards.

Description and objectives: 

IT24 is a project organised by the Basque Institute of Telecommunication Engineers. The programma seeks to inspire young people to be technology leaders and solve problems in their lives and their community. It is aimed at young people from 12 upwards. There are two categories: Junior from 12 to 16 and Senior from 16 onwards. The participants solve a real problem set up by one of the partner companies and they have 24 hours within the same complex to solve it in diverse teams. The activity is organised annually.

 

The project’s main objective is to inspire young people to be technology leaders and solve problems in their lives and their community.

 

Junior Category Objectives:

  • Foster STEAM by means of imagining to be entrepreneurs
  • Learn to appreciate technology through clear examples
  • Bring companies to the classrooms so students learn about the local business fabric and its problems

 

Senior Category Objectives

  • Bring STEAM centre-stage in any challenge facing companies in the 21st century
  • Encourage entrepreneurship
  • Foster STEAM degrees among young people aged 16 to 18
  • Opportunity for the participating companies to attract young talent

 

The initiative’s objective is in line with the objectives of the Basque Institute of Telecommunication Engineers, which is foster STEAM studies due to the lack of vocation in technology degree. It also seeks to overcome the gender gap in those professions.

Country: 
Education level: 
Logo or photo: 
Organisation: 
Basque Institute of Telecommunication Engineers
Impact: 

The following data was recorded from post-activity surveys:

 

  • 75% of the participants were female
  • 49% of the participating students indicated that they would study a STEAM degree, 24% that they would not study a STEAM degree and 37% did not know
  • The event was rated 4.75 out of 5
Reach: 

Since it was implemented, the participation has been:

  • 354 students
  • Over 30 different companies
  • 3 universities of the Basque Country
  • Over 5 non-profit entities
Budget and funding model: 

The programme was funded by the participating companies, Bizkaia Provincial Council and the different local councils where the event is being held.

Title (dropdown menu): 
Year start: 
2018
Status: 
data_page_icon_programme: 

ESTCube

Short summary: 

ESTCube is a project that aims to increase uptake of space technology career paths by giving students an opportunity to apply their knowledge to real life satellite development. The project successfully launched two satellites, the first of which was the first satellite in the world that attempted to use an electric solar wind sail (e-sail).

Description and objectives: 

ESTCube is a student satellite project and the first satellite in the world that attempted to use an electric solar wind sail (e-sail). The project aims to give students an opportunity to give their theoretical knowledge a practical output by building real-life satellites.

 

For every project, a team of engineers, mechanics, programmes and students is put together. With the team, a detailed plan and goals are set. For the ESTCube-1, the goal of the project was to successfully launch a student satellite. During the time in orbit, the satellite was actively used for taking images and downloading data, while students rapidly continued improving software for all subsystems. With this, the satellite was launched in 2013 and by 2014, the attitude determination and control system software reached its full functionality. In 2015, the batteries of the satellite got empty and the connection with the satellite ended.

 

Based on the good results from ESTCube-1, the activities continued with a new ESTCube-2 project in 2017. ESTCube-2 is a technology demonstration mission for deorbiting technology plasma break, the interplanetary propulsion system electric solar wind sail and advanced satellite subsystem solutions.

 

The ESTCube team is also participating in several bigger events and seminars. In addition to that, they also organize events that introduce the space technology and opportunities in the project. Every summer, the ESTCube Team is accepting summer traineeship members.

 

The main objective of the project is to promote space technology as a career path, by giving students an opportunity to gain practical knowledge about space technology and launch satellites that are made in Estonia. One of the goals is also to develop innovation in the field and put more emphasis in the field of research.

 

At the national level, the objective is to develop a research-based economy and use smart specialisation and launch more technology-based companies. Estonia faces a problem with the lack of engineers and technology developers in the near future. Therefore, it is important to bring more students to this career path.

Country: 
Education level: 
Logo or photo: 
Organisation: 
Estonian Student Satellite Foundation
Impact: 

The impact of the ESTCube is measured in the number of students participating in the project, but also the number of final thesis defended in the topics related to ESTCube. The biggest impact of the project is a fact that the team launched a real-life satellite in space in 2013 therefore making Estonia one of the so called ‘space countries’ in the world.

 

From the project, 14 research articles have been published and more than 50 research presentations have been made. From the project, 4 spin-off companies have been launched. More than 30 bachelor and over 20 master theses were defended related to the project The project had a great impact on the innovation and technology development in Estonia and generated international interest. This opened up possibilities for collaboration with different research institutions and companies that have since been developed.

Reach: 

In the ESTCube project, there were about 200 students as participants who are directly involved in building the satellite. The peculiarity of the project was the amount of different nationalities in the team - all together there were students from more than 10 different countries, making it one of the most diverse student projects.

 

Moreover, ESTCube held a science camp in order to promote the opportunity to build a satellite for students. In addition, the ESTCube team has visited several science related events and seminars connected to the project.

Budget and funding model: 

The project is funded by donations from companies, partners and people.

Title (dropdown menu): 
Year start: 
2013
Status: 
data_page_highlighted_yes_no: 
data_page_summary: 

ESTCube is a student satellite project and the first satellite in the world that attempted to use an electric solar wind sail (e-sail). The project aims to give students an opportunity to give their theoretical knowledge a practical output by building real-life satellites.

data_page_impact: 

The ESTCube sparked 14 research articles, 50 research projects and 4 spin-off companies. More than 30 bachelor and over 20 master theses were defended related to the PROJECT.

data_page_icon_programme: 

Solaride

Short summary: 

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.

Description and objectives: 

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.

Country: 
Logo or photo: 
Organisation: 
SolarCar Estonia MTY (non-profit organization)
Impact: 

The biggest impact of Solaride is raising the general knowledge about solar energy in Estonia. With the strong social media strategy, they effectively reach the general public and students on a large scale. It is hard to measure the overall impact due to the fact that Solaride has operated for a short time period. Despite that, Solaride has successfully involved big technology companies and several sponsors. In the social media, they have collaborated with several Estonian celebrities and influencers.

Reach: 

In the Solaride team, there are about 70 members. The project has s strong social media reach and the team participates in all big eventsin Estonia. Solaride has also organized several events on their own (mostly on the web due to the pandemic) and has reached thousands of people doing so.

 

Budget and funding model: 

The Solaride project is mainly funded by different sponsors, that subdivide:

  • Private funders
  • Companies, that mainly are in the technology sector
  • Local Governments, such as Tartu City
  • Universities and research institutions such as Estonian University of Life Sciences, University of Tartu and Tallinn University of Technology.
Title (dropdown menu): 
Year start: 
2020
Status: 
data_page_highlighted_yes_no: 
data_page_summary: 

Solaride is a project for students who want to contribute hands-on to solving our dependence on fossil fuels. In the context of the project 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.

data_page_impact: 

Despite its early phase, the project and its 70-man project team has garnered a large amount of media attention, developed partnerships with large companies and put solar energy-related career paths on the map for a large number of young people in Estonia.

data_page_icon_programme: 

Mobile Technology Workshop

Short summary: 

The Merkuur Mobile Technology workshops introduce various trades, techniques and tools in the metal and wood industries to young people and to offer them hands-on opportunities to try and participate in the tasks associated with these trades in order to raise their career awareness and competitiveness in the fields of technology and engineering. The main objective is to give young people practical knowledge about engineering and technology. By educating young people and giving them early access to hands-on engineering possibilities,the programme aims to increase the interest of students to start a career in engineering.

Description and objectives: 

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.

Country: 
Logo or photo: 
Organisation: 
Merkuur OY
Impact: 

The Mobile Workshop gives the opportunity for young people to get acquainted with the real product development process by applying their critical thinking and problem-solving skills as well as modern technologies based on the principles of the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics. The team has also developed good partnerships with different schools, therefore bringing the opportunities to the school lessons. With that, the programme contributes to raising career awareness and competitiveness in the fields of technology and engineering.

 

The Mobile Workshops have a great impact on the areas that otherwise are dismissed or have limited opportunities, for example schools outside the big cities in the countryside. This helps to curb inequality and improve young people's access to science, technology and engineering.

 

The programme is also acknowledged by the Estonian Research Council as the Best New Initiative inn 2017, Special award for the best social enterprise of Brain Hunt in 2017, by the Federation of Estonian Engineering Industry as the Deed of the Year in 2017, and was awarded by the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications for promoting  entrepreneurship and European Enterprise Promotion Awards with the first place of Investing in Entrepreneurial Skills in 2020.

Reach: 

The Mobile Workshop-concept reaches thousands of children all over Estonia. By the beginning of 2020, the Merkuur team has organised more than 700 science, technology and engineering workshops for about 7000 young people. Mobile Workshops actively cooperate with key figures and entrepreneurs in the fields of nature, the exact sciences and technology.

Budget and funding model: 

Merkuur Mobile Workshops is funded by several public funds, ministries and other organisations:

 

  • ERASMUS+ project “Mobile laboratories for improvement of STEM knowledge”;
  • Estonian Research Council and FESTO cofunded project “Engineering inspired by the nature”;
  • Project “Mobile Workshop for introducing the careers in wood and metal industry” funded by the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research, Estonian Youth Work Centre, European Social Fund and Republic of Estonia;
  • Local governments and schools.
Title (dropdown menu): 
Year start: 
2008
Status: 
data_page_summary: 

The Merkuur Mobile Technology workshops introduce various trades, techniques and tools in the metal and wood industries to young people and to offer them hands-on opportunities.

data_page_impact: 

Due to their mobility, the Mobile Technology Workshops particularly impact areas that otherwise are dismissed or have limited opportunities.This helps to curb inequality and improve young people's access to science, technology and engineering.

data_page_icon_programme: 

Future Ways in Career Orientation and the World of Autonomous Vehicles

Short summary: 

Hungary in recent years has been increasingly confronted with the undesirable phenomenon of young people not being able to study mathematics, science, technical or informatics training, fields in which exist big labour market shortages. The growing demand for professionals is not followed by the student skills. The main objective of the 'Future Ways in Career Orientation and the World of Autonomous Vehicles'-programme (Future Ways) is to increase the number of students that pursue this specialisation in higher education and to promote the mathematics and informatics fields in general.

Description and objectives: 

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.

Country: 
Logo or photo: 
Organisation: 
Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BME), MOME, PFA
Impact: 

The impact of the programme was measured primarily by the number of students that particpated (see above). In addition,

 

Reach: 

The consortion organised around 40 events and a staff training have organized almost 40 events and a staff training (50 participants). Around 100 schools were involved during the programs, and more than 1200 students participated at the roadshows and events.

Budget and funding model: 

The funding was originating from the Hungarian Human Resource Development Operative Programme, aiming at the implementation of skills development and communication programs to promote access to higher education and promotion of mathematics, science, technical or informatics subjects in higher education.

 

A consortium of universities and civil organisations were invited to submit project proposals, where some outcomes and KPIs were defined, such as presentation of the teaching portfolio, realisation of roadshows, organisation of experience-oriented professional days and open days at the university, promotion of possible career opportunities, organization of summer schools, trainings for staff members.

Year start: 
2018
Status: 
Year end: 
2020
data_page_icon_programme: 

Jenter og Teknologi ('Girls and Technology')

Short summary: 

Norwegian companies are reporting shortages of technically skilled workers, engineers and scientists, all fields in which women are severely underrepresented. The 'Girls and Technology' programme aims to increase women's participation in these fields through the use of role-models. Originally founded as a local initiative in 2003, it has contributed significantly to addressing this issue with thousands of girls participating annually in its activities. 

Description and objectives: 

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.

Country: 
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Organisation: 
National Centre for Science Recruitment (NCR)
Impact: 

The main goal of the programme is to inform and inspire girls to see all the possibilities you have when choosing an education and career within STEM and strengthen their ability to take well-founded choices when it comes to their own education.

 

The impact of the program is measured through different parameters for the different events. Both the increase in girls choosing education within STEM in high schools and universities, the reach of the tour, social media campaigns and event evaluation are considered indicators of the project. However, measuring the effect of the Girls in Technology programme in isolation from other activities or strategies with similar goals is challenging. Nevertheless:

 

  • Girls and Technology started as a project in the Agder region, and the cooperation between the university and social partners such as NHO and NITO showed significant results. From 2005 to 2015 the number of women studying technology or engineering at the University of Agder increased by 227%, (from 128 to 412 female students).
  • Research from "The Girls Day" at The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) shows that a recruitment event for Female Upper Secondary Students increased the motivation to work with School Mathematics and Science for 69% of the participating pupils. The role model methodology was emphasised as particularly influential towards improved motivation. Over 90% reported that "experiencing NTNU" increased their motivation to choose tertiary STEM education. This highlights the added value of partnering with universities when aiming to increase interest in STEM (see: Jensen & Vetleseter study in background documents).
  • TNS KANTAR conducted a survey on behalf of NHO in October 2019, asking girls in the target group and their parents and career councellors about various aspects related to technology education. All three groups consistently agreed that there is a need for more information about technology education and work. Among lower secondary school students, increased information is the most important factor for whether they will consider choosing a STEM education or not. Among higher secondary students getting more female role models is the most important factor. Through the Girls and technology tour these two factors are emphasised to meet the needs for more information and role models.

 

Western Norway Research (Vestlandsforskning) is currently working on a comprehensive evaluation on the effect of the project.  This report is due in March 2021.

Reach: 

Each year the reach of Girls and Technology has expanded. In 2020, 9600 girls in 9th and 10th grade (spread across all 11 counties in Norway), attended the digital tour. The project aims to reach more girls every year, with a focus on spreading and varying the tour locations from year to year. This is done to reach girls that live outside cities and be available in all of Norway.

 

Key figures for Girls and Technology 2019:

 

  • 8850 participating girls between age 13-19
  • Participants from more than 250 different schools
  • 25 events
  • More than 80 role models
  • 2 live streams with more than 3000 viewers

 

Key figures for Girls and Technology 2020:

 

  • 9600 participating girls in 9th and 10th grade (tour only)
  • A digital tour with 11 live streams
  • 5 inspiration days at five different universities
  • 1300 participating girls at the inspiration days
  • Participation at 4 education fairs

 

In traditional media Girls and Technology have gained a lot of attention and been presented in more than 50 newspaper articles all over Norway as well as numerous commentaries. In addition, the project has had 5 national TV appearances.  
 

Budget and funding model: 

The project is funded annually from the state budget and money is granted for one year at a time. The funding is partly related to the outcome and reach of the program, but also the need for gender balance (increasing the number of women), technically skilled workers and technology competence in general.   

Year start: 
2003
Status: 
data_page_icon_programme: 

STEM Ondernemers voor de Klas ('STEM Entrepreneurs in the Classroom')

Short summary: 

STEM Ondernemers voor de Klas (‘STEM entrepreneurs in the classroom’), or ‘STEM OvK’. Is an initiative of the Flemish organisation ‘Vlaamse Jonge Ondernemers’ (VLAJO) aimed at engaging students with STEM-driven entrepreneurship at a young age through guest-lectures by successful STEM entrepreneurs.

Description and objectives: 

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.

Country: 
Education level: 
Logo or photo: 
Organisation: 
VLAJO (Vlaamse Jonge Ondernemingen)
Impact: 

The STEM-OvK initiative has been positively evaluated by participants and has been widely covered in the media. Structural assessment of the long-term impact (e.g. impact on student behaviour) is not yet available.

Reach: 

In the period 2018-2020 around 200 STEM-OvK guest-lectures were implemented (compared to around 700 ‘regular’ OvK guest-lectures). For the most recent figures, please visit the programme website or contact the programme coordinators.

Budget and funding model: 

STEM-OvK is a public-privately financed initiative with the Flemish government covering around 70% of the operational budget and the remainder coming from a group of individual companies. This does not include ‘in kind’ contributions to the programme (e.g. time spent on guest lectures).

Title (dropdown menu): 
Year start: 
2018
Status: 
data_page_icon_programme: 

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