Wales Institute of Mathematical and Computational Sciences

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HE STEM

Staff from the HE STEM Programme, Swansea University, the Professional Bodies and HEFCW who attended the Wales HE STEM Day Conference on 22^nd January 2010 at Swansea University.

About the Programme

The National HE STEM Programme is a three-year initiative that aims to increase and widen participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and enhance the skills and knowledge base of the workforce in these areas. Although focused on the STEM subjects, it will primarily concentrate its support on the disciplines of Chemistry, Engineering, Mathematics and Physics.

Strands of Activity

There are three related strands in the Programme:

1. Activities to widen participation within the STEM disciplines at HE level amongst students of traditional age;
2. HE curriculum developments focusing upon course delivery and design, student support, and knowledge and skills;
3. Activities to encourage those currently within the workforce and society without a Level 4 qualification to engage in further study to develop enhanced knowledge and skills.

Key Outputs

There will be a number of key outputs that will enable this overall aim to be achieved:

• The incorporation of proven discipline-based widening participation interventions into the core practice of Higher Education institutions;
• Targeted interventions, led by Higher Education institutions, within schools and colleges where participation in Higher Education is traditionally low;
• The development of new and innovative approaches to Higher Education based widening participation activity, the delivery of undergraduate programmes of study, and employer engagement;
• STEM Programmes of study within Higher Education institutions that provide opportunities for increased and enhanced opportunities for undergraduate skills development and exposure to the workplace;
• An increase in the number of learning opportunities within the STEM disciplines for those who wish to engage with study on a flexible or part-time basis;
• Increased engagement between regional HEIs leading to a collaborative approach towards increasing and widening participation within the STEM discipline;
• Greater awareness of sector-wide STEM activity and the transfer of best practice between Higher Education Institutions.

Programme Partners

Delivery of the activities of the National HE STEM Programme will be undertaken via a 'Hub' and 'Spoke' model. The University of Birmingham will act as the 'Hub', while the Universities of Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Manchester Metropolitan, Southampton and Swansea will act as 'Spokes'.

Engagement with Other Initiatives

The National STEM landscape contains a range of initiatives and organisations undertaking related activity. The Programme will not seek to duplicate these activities, but where appropriate will work collaboratively to bring added value and raise awareness of such activity within the HE sector to increase engagement.

Opportunities for Engagement

The National HE STEM Programme is keen to encourage engagement from colleagues across the STEM sector and in particular those based within Higher Education Institutions. STEM colleagues are encouraged to contact the Programme Partners or to register their details on the website to ensure they remain updated about the Programme, its activities, and specific opportunities for engagement that may arise.

The Wales Spoke is holding two Engage Conferences on 31st March 2011 at Cardiff University and on 5th May at Glyndŵr University, Wrexham.  The Conferences will showcase individual projects in workforce upskilling and graduate skills development, present highlights from a range of projects including for level 3/4 transition and widening participation, and explain opportunities for HEIs and other organisations working with the HE sector to engage with the Programme.  Part of the day will be devoted to themed workshops addressing:

• Graduate employability
• Student support and transition
• Workforce upskilling and lifelong learning
• Public engagement and widening participation
• STEM careers guidance.

You may download the Conference Agenda for both events here, the Booking Form for both events here, the travel directions for Cardiff here and for Glyndŵr here.

Contact Details

The National HE STEM Programme: www.hestem.ac.uk

Michael Grove, The Programme Director, University of Birmingham: M.J.Grove@bham.ac.uk

Regional Spoke Higher Education Partner Institutions:

• Wales - WIMCS, Swansea University: HESTEM@wimcs.ac.uk
   
• South-West England - University of Bath: HESTEM@bath.ac.uk
   
• West Midlands and East Anglia - University of Birmingham: HESTEM@contacts.bham.ac.uk
   
• North-East England - University of Bradford: HESTEM@bradford.ac.uk
   
• North-West England - Manchester Metropolitan University: HESTEM@mmu.ac.uk
   
• South-East and London - University of Southampton: HESTEM@soton.ac.uk

Professional Body Partners:

• The Institution of Physics: HESTEM@loP.org
   
• The Institution of Mathematics and its Applications: HESTEMmaths@ima.org.uk
   
• The Royal Academy of Engineering: HESTEM@RAeng.org.uk
   
• The Royal Society of Chemistry: HESTEM@rsc.org