The East Midlands Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths Awards: The Legacy of a Collaborative Aimhigher Project

1. Project description 2. Evaluation 3. Application of findings....questions

Project Description Origins Numbers Promotion and Recruitment Co-ordination Components (scholarship and skills event)

Evaluation

Access 200 scholarships “ As a self-funded student, I probably wouldn’t have been able to do my course at all without the award ” (Student, cohort 2) “ My family have always been really supportive of my decision to go to University but I remember vividly the conversations I had with my parents concerning finances and how they were ever going to be able to fund my education. The EMSTA award made my decision [to go to university] a lot easier as I knew I wouldn’t be relying on my parents ” (Student, cohort 2)

Retention Of the 200 hundred students that were accepted onto the scheme 196 have graduated or are set to graduate with a STEM degree “ The EMSTA programme has allowed me to not worry about the financial implications of studying a degree as much as it would have without EMSTA's assistance. I believe being able to concentrate on my studies and not have as much of a financial burden has helped me accomplish the grades I have achieved ” (Student, cohort 2)

Retention 61% of the award holders felt that the EMSTA scheme had made a direct difference to how well they were doing, or had done, on their course “ The EMSTA grant allowed me to concentrate a lot more on my studies rather than having to work so many part time hours. This clearly both helped my results and my enjoyment of the course ” (Student, cohort 1)

Retention 77% of award holders had been made to feel more confident, and in some instances more determined about succeeding at University “ It gave me a real confidence boost, someone believing in me and thinking I will become successful ” (Student, cohort 2) 62% of award holders stated that the scheme made a positive difference to their enjoyment of their course - a factor possibly contributing to the high retention rates

Progression 86% of EMSTA scholars stated that the scheme and, in particular, the annual skills event had made a difference to their awareness and understanding of STEM-related careers: “ The careers advice and workshops were extremely useful, being STEM specific they were much better than generalized careers fairs where people’s knowledge on what you can do with science and maths is often limited ” (Student, cohort 1)

Progression “ The EMSTA annual conferences prepared us for having to fill in application forms, how to deal with phone interviews and face to face interviews. This was introduced from the first year so we were prepared by the third year for the real thing ” (Student, cohort 1) “ Good opportunity to speak to employers and find out inside information about their recruitment process, and information about STEM careers ” (Student, cohort 2) “ I never considered that doing PhD was something that normal people did until I attended the graduate opportunities workshop at the conference; I am now doing a PhD in Mathematics next year ” (Student, cohort 1)

Reasons for the scheme’s success Partnership working Relationship between beneficiaries and co-ordinators Harnessing social media

Contact details: Neil Raven: Samantha Husbands: Continued relevance...

Questions... a. Comparable schemes/projects in your area b. Your assessment of what we have identified as the main lessons from the project c. Other lessons that we may have overlooked d. Ideas on strategies for sustaining these initiatives