- Stimulating interest in STEM careers among students in Europe Supporting career choice and giving a more realistic view of STEM at work Alexa Joyce

- Dedicated to Support schools in bringing about the best use of technology in learning Promote the European dimension in schools and education Improve and raise the quality of education in Europe Network & think tank of 30 Ministries of Education in Europe About European Schoolnet

- Three strands of activity European Schoolnet’s activities Policy and practice research Innovation and exchange School networking & services Validation & support for pilot schools Interoperability and content exchange Resource platform

- Europe is training too few scientists, technology experts and engineers –Asian countries train twice as many scientists compared to European member states, and three times as many engineers. Europe’s highest scientific achievers – Finnish students – outperformed by Chinese students in Shanghai and Hong Kong (PISA, TIMMS) No growth in choice of scientific higher education and career paths but high unemployment in EU & strong demand for particularly IT & engineering profiles Focus on STEM education

- Horizontal axis: Human Development Index Vertical axis: Scores on questions designed to measure positive attitudes towards studying science Svein Sjoberg, University of Oslo: Project ROSE Attitudes to STEM & STEM careers

- Engineering – demand vs interest Shortages already today – opportunity cost of €6.6 billion in Germany alone Eurostat 2008

- IT – demand vs interest 7 90% of future jobs will require higher level of IT skills than today and posts likely to be unfilled by 2020 Eurostat 2013, Empirica 2013

- Link to school to work transitions Hypotheses: –Contextualisation of STEM with job / career information  increase interest and motivation in STEM –School-industry partnerships can provide these experiences 8

- School-industry partnerships in STEM 9 CRECIM, 2012

- Key factors in STEM career interest Engagement in school: inquiry-based learning, collaboration, contextualisation of STEM Career information: more access to “real life” job information and role models in STEM. Personal characteristics: role playing, self–efficacy activities allowing students to understand ability to do STEM Social/ethical perception of STEM – helping students to better understand social and ethical aspects. 10 CRECIM, 2012

- Typical characteristics of partnerships Provision of resources for schools to promote the improvement of scientific or technological knowledge potentially related to the company (materials, ambassadors, courses, etc.) Establishing direct communication between STEM professionals and students. Offering company premises to support schools/to students. Engaging STEM professionals with students’ work. 11 CRECIM, 2012 Operate at any level: international, national, regional, local. More partners = more sustainable

- Practical examples – e-Skills Week Encourage interest in tech & tech jobs among young people in all EU member states – European Commission + Schoolnet + DIGITALEUROPE 30 countries and 200 stakeholders – education, industry, associations Tangible positive impact on young people more interested in tech and tech jobs (evaluation survey + interviews) Diverse events: meet role models, workshops, robotics competitions, introduction to programming, industry visits, etc. 12

- Practical examples – Intel ISEF Reaches 5 million students around the world – local & national STEM fairs Self-driven research projects, mentored by teachers & encourage links to researchers Fairs involve business & research personnel in judging teams who meet students & review their projects Laureates win significant scholarships for STEM studies & act as mentors for future competitors 13

- Class engagement impacts 14 TeachersStudents More confidence in innovative methods & topics Increased awareness of support resources & tools More access to training opportunities Increased enjoyment of STEM lessons Increased knowledge and understanding of specific topics More collaborative experience in class More interest in taking subsequent STEM electives NFER, Kudenko & Gras

- Career perception impacts 15 TeachersStudents Up to date knowledge of career opportunities helps teachers relate STEM content in teaching to real-life examples. Better understanding of how to tackle social and ethical issues. Increased awareness of careers that involve STEM Less stereotyped perception of what a “scientist” or “technologist” does Better understanding of social, ethical and legal constraints and measures taken by industry/research to tackle societal and ethical challenges. NFER, Kudenko & Gras Overall, more short term interest in STEM and STEM careers BUT hard to measure long term impact

- Obstacles & and facilitators 16 StructuralMotivational ProceduralCultural Structural

- Structural ObstaclesFacilitators Lack of resources (economic, human, time) Lack of support from internal management and external partners Geographical distance between school and industry Ministries of Education should include recommendations in STEM curricula/teaching requirements for school-industry partnerships More virtual partnerships forms should be developed to reach schools in distant locations 17

- Motivational ObstaclesFacilitators Mismatch of goals/objectives between schools and industry Lack of interested individuals Lack of continuity/commitment Clear partnership agreements should be drawn up based on best practice models to clarify objectives and targets Individuals (in companies and schools) need information and training to understand the benefits of partnerships Companies should make long term commitments to partner with dedicated staff 18

- Procedural ObstaclesFacilitators Communication between partners can fail Regulations e.g. students not allowed in laboratory facilities Intermediaries (broker organisations such as associations) should support partnerships to help resolve communication difficulties For difficult/dangerous facilities to visit, companies can create virtual or remote tours 19

- Cultural ObstaclesFacilitators Different realities of industry and education Clashing schedules Negative stereotypes of industry  Intermediaries (broker organisations) to support partnerships & resolve communication difficulties  Time made available by companies and schools to ensure availability  Teacher peer learning to ensure they are positive about the potential of the partnership 20

- Conclusions School industry partnerships have strong potential to help ensure more smooth transition from school to work in STEM fields Numerous diverse examples but few structural interventions reaching every student in countries Many barriers to uptake of opportunities, but solutions exist Need for more commitment on education side, industry side, and further measurement of impact 21

- More information? inGenious website on STEM school-industry partnerships: European Schoolnet: Contact me: Alexa Joyce – Thank you! 22