evaluation report for the stem careers module produced for ... and transition cas… · evaluation...
Post on 14-Jul-2020
1 Views
Preview:
TRANSCRIPT
Evaluation Report for
The STEM Careers Module
Produced for The National HE STEM Programme
Dr Richard Watermeyer
Cardiff School of Social Sciences
July 2012
Watermeyer 2012 2
Contents
1. Preamble p. 3
2. Evaluation framework p. 3
3. Context of STEM careers guidance in the UK p. 3
4. Approach p. 5
5. Results: p. 6
5.1 Overview p. 6
5.2 Quality of instruction and teaching materials (training days) p. 6
5.3 Quality of online tuition p. 7
5.4 Supervision and communication p. 7
5.5 Challenges p. 7
5.6 Impact p. 7
5.7 Room for improvement p. 8
5.8 Participants’ soundbites: Training Day 1 January 19th 2012 p. 8
5.9 Themes: Training Day March 22nd 2012 p. 11
6. Stakeholder accounts p. 13
7. Final observations p. 14
8. Recommendations p. 15
9. The future p. 16
Appendix p. 17
Watermeyer 2012 3
1. Preamble
1.1 Evaluation of the National HE STEM Programme and the production of evaluation
reports (interim and final) has been undertaken by Dr Richard Watermeyer, herein
‘the evaluator’, of Cardiff University School of Social Sciences, as a consequence of
commission by the National HE STEM Programme. This is the final evaluation report.
2. Evaluation framework
2.1 Evaluation comprised a mixed-method approach combining qualitative and
quantitative methodology to elicit the relative strengths and weaknesses in the
design and delivery of the Careers Module and to inform recommendations for
future consideration/implementation.
2.2 In total, evaluative data was collected via ethnographic observation of one of the
face-to-face training days; via exit-poll questionnaires (n=2) and online surveys (n=2);
interviews with course sponsors and delivery team (n=5); interrogation of online
materials by the evaluator. 100% of the students completed exit-poll questionnaires,
the first being distributed online, subsequent to the first face-to-face (f2f) training
day, the second distributed and collected at the end of the second f2f day. The two
online surveys shared the exact same completion rate of 60%.
2.3 The evaluator is still in the process of arranging interviews with other, external
stakeholder groups, such as those at Glamorgan University, where the course has
received accreditation, to determine the success of the module and terms of its
outcomes, such as lessons-learned, and by way of legacy and future application.
3. Context of STEM Careers Guidance in the UK
3.1 Various recent reports (OECD 2003; Garnham 2010; Holman & Finegold 2010;
Silver 2010) point to the significance of credible STEM career guidance and reliable
STEM careers information in facilitating an opportunity of choice for learners
considering their occupational futures. The majority of these reports comment on a
growing instability and unsustainability of the careers guidance profession in the UK.
In England, the main agency for careers guidance, Connexions has undergone
significant downscaling, leaving little beyond a skeleton service premised on ‘. . . new
access arrangements which will see more services available online’ and removed
from face-to-face types of interactions between learners and careers experts –
considered to be integral to learners’ decision making and future choice. In Wales,
the careers guidance landscape suffers from similarly bleak prospects, with the
future of the principal guidance service, Careers Wales, uncertain. Nevertheless, an
emphasis on providing learners with the best possible resources, mobilizing their
STEM subject and occupational trajectories is writ large within a UK and devolved
policy for STEM, such as Science for Wales (2012) and in reports such as the Gatsby
Watermeyer 2012 4
Foundation’s, STEM Careers Review (2010), the latter advocating investment in what
Silver 2010 termed the ‘professionalisation of careers professionals’. Indeed, point
four of the Gatsby Careers Review’s fifteen recommendations for the careers
guidance profession states:
Careers professional need to be well informed about careers available to people with STEM qualifications and skills, and familiar with the sources of information about such careers. The National STEM Centre, with the support from the STEM community and independent funders, should produce a high quality STEM careers training module (comprising both online and face-to-face support) designed for use in the initial and in-service training of careers professionals. (Holman & Finegold 2010: 6)
3.2 The National HE STEM sponsored Careers Module is in many respects a direct response to this recommendation. The findings in this evaluation report however confirm the prevalence of tensions between a community of careers advisors and STEM teachers with responsibilities for STEM careers guidance, in a state of disconnection and uncertainty exacerbated by dwindling and disappearing budgets, and the preponderance of policy-talk, promulgating the importance of careers advice in STEM. 3.3 There are vast swathes of information in STEM careers advice and guidance, yet
these are mainly online and unknown to many responsible either directly or in an
adjunct capacity for advising students on careers progression in STEM domains.
3.4 There are questions marks in terms of the quality of signposting to these
information repositories and the extent to which learners themselves are able to
access these. This is compounded by an overall dearth of specialist expertise in STEM
subject/occupational domains among careers advisors and concurrently a lack of
careers-guidance skilling among teacher cohorts. A common depiction of STEM
careers advice was as ‘generally desperately poor’ and/or ‘a disaster area’,
exacerbated by ‘low levels of understanding of how science is involved in industry
and changes in STEM industries’.
3.5 The Careers Module consequently sought to provide an instructional bridge
between a space of online learning and static knowledge and knowledge brokered
and in part translated via face-to-face training days.
3.6 Much of the contemporary landscape for careers advice in STEM is in a state of
decline and/or erosion with significant budget cuts, most emphatically evidenced
with the dissolution of connexions. STEM guidance has furthermore been historically
hampered by the siloing of teachers and careers advisors, working in isolation and in
unconnected ways.
Watermeyer 2012 5
3.7 One interviewee commented that the future success of careers advice in STEM is
contingent upon a more fluid and fluent dialogue and interactivity between the two
communities. Part then of the rationale for the Careers Module was in providing a
space for collapsing occupational barriers, and infusing both groups with a more
crystalline sense of each other’s professional anatomy and working practices.
Through a meeting of minds and ways, the course providers envisaged a more
sympathetic, informed, supportive and profitable interactions. An issue for teachers
is a lack of awareness of what goes on beyond their subject. Professional careers
advice however is enervated by a lack of knowledge of classroom practice and
curriculum.
4. Approach
4.1 In the context of a political rhetoric and mandate demanding improvements in
the delivery of STEM career guidance, course sponsors identified a disconnect
between a plethora of information and information repositories in STEM , mainly
located in online domains, and an awareness and an ability to access these on the
part of STEM teachers/career advisors. In an effort to plug this gap, sponsors sought
to develop an assessment-based module which would serve as:
- an information gateway, linking teachers/career advisors with STEM careers
resources
- a space of shared learning between STEM teachers and career advisors, as two
communities historically working in silo, and the building of a co-operative interface,
enriching the provision of STEM advice to learners and the materialisation of a
community of practice in STEM careers advice
-a method of continuous professional development, enhancing the knowledge
repertoires and skill sets of STEM teachers and careers advisors – in the former’s
case providing a means to integrate careers advice in the context of curriculum
- a means of elucidation highlighting the breadth of existing and emergent STEM
careers and types of STEM employer
- a brokerage mechanism facilitating dialogue between STEM teachers/career
advisors and STEM employers
4.2 Course sponsors set about recruiting the expertise of Dr Pat Morton (Sheffield
Hallam) and Claire Nix (Babcock International) both of whom had previous, central
experience of a DfES funded programme in the provision of STEM career guidance.
Much of the knowledge generated from this programme underpinned the
development and delivery of the careers module.
Watermeyer 2012 6
4.3 A unique and essential aspect of the module was a prioritisation in face-to-face
training and the role of the delivery team as mentors, guiding participants’
development.
4.4 All students were provided with a participant handbook which provided a wealth
of general and specific information. The handbook included key essentials such as
tutor’s contact details; key dates, times, locations; an advanced agenda for both
training days; links to online information; estimation of work-load time commitment,
aims, objectives and aspirational outcomes; guidance on portfolio content and
assessment; a rationale for the course; and a comprehensive reading list including
links to career theory, reports and research in STEM and the URLs of key websites.
5. Results
5.1 Overview
5.1.1 The Careers Module pilot has been a resounding success. The quality of
instruction and instructional materials has been deemed to be of a very high
standard and of genuine benefit to the student cohort, who have been appropriately
challenged and whose understanding of STEM careers and ability to advise on such
matters has been seen to greatly improve. There a few issues in terms of
communication/dissemination and the sequencing of course aspects/events which
could benefit from revision or calibration. These however are marginal or low-impact
issues which would require little in the way of modification to correct.
5.1.2 Of a total of twenty-four students enrolled on the module, eighteen completed
all aspects of the course and submitted a portfolio of work for examination; yielding
a high completion rate of 75%. While assessors judged there to be some variation in
the quality of students’ outputs the majority of submitted work was seen to be of a
high standard.
5.2 Quality of instruction and teaching materials (training days)
5.2.1 Students reflected in the online survey that the quality of instruction and the
course materials were of a high to very high standard:
- Information provided by session leaders was considered by respondents
to be useful, clear, relevant and fit for purpose.
- Instruction provided within training days 1 and 2 was considered by 64%
of respondents to be ‘good’, with 36% claiming ‘very good’.
- The quality of teaching materials used in training days 1 and 2 were
considered by 54% of respondents to be good, with 46% claiming ‘very
good’.
- 58% of respondents felt the training days were very useful, with 42%
claiming ‘useful’
Watermeyer 2012 7
5.2.2 Students considered the training days to be an essential aspect of the module,
though recommended that an additional day be allocated in the future; a view
shared by the delivery team.
5.2.3 A resounding 83% of respondents strongly agreed with the statement: Face-to-
face training days are an indispensable part of the Careers Module.
5.3 Quality of online tuition
- 57% of respondents rated the quality of the Careers Module’s online
tuition as good, with 43% claiming very good.
- 100% of respondents claimed that the online dimension of the Careers
Module was easy to use; well designed; well linked to the offline
components of the course; contained sufficient information and guidance;
contained relevant information.
- 92% of respondents claimed that the online dimension of the Careers
Module was an effective way to learn.
- 71% of respondents claimed that the online dimension of the Careers
Module was an efficient way to learn.
- Some among the respondents however complained of being slightly
overawed by an abundance or overload of information and an
underestimation of completion time.
5.4 Supervision and communication
5.4.1 The majority of students reflected that their learning needs had been
sufficiently supported throughout the duration of the Careers Module. Issues of
(ongoing) communication were however reported by both students and the delivery
team. Both online communication and personal contact outwith the training days
was reported, by both parties, as minimal. A third training or dissemination days was
recommended as a means of circumventing a communication black-out of fall-off;
reinforce learners’ scaffolding; and pre-empt attrition and non-completion.
5.5 Challenges
5.5.1 The majority of students stated being able to manage the demands of the
module. A few however reported issues of time, time-management and difficulties
of competing/conflicting demands of work-based activities, curtailing their ability to
complete all aspects of the module.
Watermeyer 2012 8
5.6 Impact
5.6.1 An overwhelming majority of students, ninety-two per cent, felt that the
Careers Module had improved their capacity to provide expert advice on STEM
careers.
5.6.2 All (100%) of the students claimed that the Careers Module has improved their
understanding and awareness of the variety of career pathways in STEM.
5.6.3 All (100%) of the students claimed that they would recommend the Careers
Module to other teachers and careers-advisors.
5.7 Room for improvement
5.7.1 Students reflected that the Careers Module could be improved through:
- Increased practice-based activities/guidance on the application of
theories
- Increased or more flexible time-frames for the completion of portfolio
work/synchronization with school timetables and workload peaks.
- Increased face-to-face time and one-to-one contact between students
and delivery-team
- Making course materials bespoke for student types i.e teachers and
careers’ advisors, respectively
5.8 Participants’ soundbites: Training Day 1 January 19th 2012
1) Q. Have your experiences of the day matched or bettered your expectations?
- Participants generally felt that the course had lived up to or exceeded
their expectations. One suggestion for the delivery team was for an
increased allocation of time on participants getting acquainted and
networking. This may be seen a key reason behind the relative paucity of
the module’s online interaction:
“I had plenty of opportunities to clear up any queries or questions I had. In terms of the content, it was a shame not to have the chance to get to know the other delegates better, especially since I believe that mutual support via the online forum is going to play a key role in developing our knowledge and confidence around STEM. Something in small groups or even one-to-one that encouraged us to talk to everyone else would have been helpful for this.”
“Bettered - I was unsure exactly what I was expecting and pleasantly surprised at the assignments. These should be achievable as part of the work I do at Careers Wales.”
Watermeyer 2012 9
2) Q. What, if any, aspects of the day have you found rewarding and/or useful?
- Participants cited a number of rewarding aspects to the training day
including break-out group sessions; inter-group discussions; the mixed
professional membership of participants i.e teachers and career advisors;
employers’ talks:
3) Q. What, if any, aspects of the day have you found challenging or difficult?
- The majority of challenges/difficulties reported by participants focused on
the learning space and the training room being too small and too hot.
Others commented that the tempo of the session was at times a little
pedestrian. Of greatest concern however, was a sense of inaccurate
information being imparted by employers and a sense of genuine
disconnection between these and schools:
“The plenary session towards the end where we split into tutor groups really helped me to crystallise my ideas about how I might, in practical terms, achieve the requirements of the assessments and to talk to other delegates about the project and our work, too.”
“Discussing with others what we want to get out of the programme.”
“The availability of a huge range of resources, access to the University Careers and Employability room. A wide range of practitioners from England and Wales to share experience and expertise.”
“Employers’ talks.”
“The overcrowding! I think it probably prevented natural opportunities to circulate around the group.”
“For me the progress in the day was a little slow and I felt that some of the sessions could have been condensed a little.”
“I would have liked more opportunity to ‘dig deeper’ into the modules, perhaps we could have divided into 3 groups and looked at each section and reported back?”
“The crowded and hot room, it wasn’t a comfortable learning environment.”
Watermeyer 2012 10
4) Q. What aspects of the day could be improved upon? How would you do this?
- Participants stated feeling that the training day would benefit from
increased getting-to-know and networking opportunities; small-group
activities; and attention to the timing of specific activities – i.e activities to
stimulate participants at a point of post-lunch fatigue
“Really, really disappointed at the employers’ inputs. It’s the ‘same old, same old’, particularly the woman on the far left who was the ‘poacher turned gamekeeper’. She has the wrong, outdated view of the current curriculum. All the speakers were pitching at the more able students and they also give unrealistic ideas about opportunities in their firms. I know that both Dow Corning and Amersham International only work with local schools and employ a very small amount of apprentices (if any). For the English teachers this can be frustrating in particular, because Education Business Partnerships in England have been disbanded and they were the brokers for arranging these links. Employers need to be briefed for the session.”
“The inaccurate information being given regarding GCSE option choices was concerning.”
“Improved opportunities to get to know other delegates. This could be achieved by any number of ice-breakers involving finding out something personal and something professional about each person.”
“As a careers adviser, I am a bit of a resource magpie and I and a number of other delegates were keen to glean what booklets and posters we could from the careers library of the university where the event was held.”
“. . . worked in groups of two or three to work on an action plan of what we were going to do.”
“Perhaps looking at some of the resources on the web could have been helpful.”
“A bigger room with more activities to get ‘into’ the resources.”
“Too much time in the morning was spent on ‘what are your expectations’ and ‘what are your reservations’. A clearer objective at the start, with some clear task would have been more effective.”
Watermeyer 2012 11
5) Q. Has this activity enriched and/or broadened your knowledge and
understanding of approaches to STEM?
- Participants considered that the module had whilst broadened their
STEM repertoires broadly, they would have benefitted from advise in
specific STEM areas:
6) Q. Has today contributed at all to your continuous professional development?
Please provide examples unique to your area of work:
- Every participant was able to align their work on the module with their
own continuous professional development:
5.9 Themes: Training Day March 22nd 2012
1. Expectations:
Twelve of twenty respondents claimed that training day 2 matched their
expectations. Eight of twenty respondents stated that training day bettered
their expectations.
“It would be really useful to have someone from the [University Careers] Centre to give their experiences of students coming to them (STEM related) for their advice.”
“The employer session should have been before lunch, providing us with
informal time to continue exploring ideas.”
“It has made me think about how I can better use the STEM resources with my work, and personally with my 16 year old son, who is making his post 16 choices and is showing an interest in Maths A Level, after sitting his GCSE early.”
“I personally would have liked to have gained more knowledge of the specific careers within each subject area, maybe this could have been undertaken in small groups before feeding back?”
“In terms of CPD, this course will play part of my Threshold application, due for completion this year.”
“As someone that regularly provides students with careers advice it is always beneficial to have an employer perspective on recruitment of young people.”
Watermeyer 2012 12
2. Aspects identified as rewarding and/or useful:
- Opportunity to discuss with other professionals their issues, concerns,
methods, good practice and experiences of STEM guidance – small group
discussion
- Think about practice in other areas - networking
- Refresher of sources of information and resources available – especially use
of website materials
- Information on LMI
- One-to-one discussion with tutors in respect of portfolio
3. Aspects found to be challenging or difficult:
- The heat
- Difficulties in hearing speakers
- Participants from differing backgrounds/areas approaching STEM in different
ways – good to discuss with those in a similar role – difficult to share with
those not directly employed by schools
- Reviewing progress and application of learning to existing role
- Too much info – not specific to needs
- Lack of time to complete online materials in readiment for the day
- Six respondents claimed that no aspects of the day were challenging or
difficult
4. Suggestions for improvement:
- Allocation of time dedicated to discussion of portfolio – individual tutor time
- Review of STEM LMI data
- More practical activities
- More discussion on problems, solutions and evaluation
- Separating the group into ‘schools’ and ‘careers’ sub-groups
- An air conditioned room
- Shorter lunch break
- LMI session – teachers better use of this time discussing how to implement
STEM careers advice in their schemes of work
- Two respondents claimed that there were no identifiable aspects of the day
that could be improved upon
5. Has the activity enriched and/or broadened knowledge and understanding of
approaches to STEM guidance:
- All twenty respondents felt that training day 2 has enriched and/or
broadened their knowledge and understanding of approaches to STEM
guidance. Some commented that they had gained an increased awareness of
Watermeyer 2012 13
information resources and approaches and greater confidence in providing
STEM careers advice.
6. Contribution to CPD:
- Confidence and knowledge
- Awareness of resources and schemes
- LMI
- Facilitated new ideas
- Useful for one-to-one guidance interviews
- Implementing STEM in school settings
- Improved knowledge of STEM
- Increased understanding of how and when careers awareness can be
implemented in class
- Impacting STEM subjects in school – personal development
- One respondents stated that the training day provided an opportunity to
network and provided better knowledge of activities in other schools
6. Stakeholder accounts
6.1 Interview participants felt that in a future iteration of the module greater time
ought to be allocated in face-to-face time.
6.2 Interviewees claimed that the wiki had not been as successful as had been
anticipated. Online dialogue was not particularly well evidenced and did not feature
as an engaging part of the programme.
6.3 Within the training days, group work met with some success however some
articulated a preference for more one-to-one face time with tutors. Some appeared
to be uncomfortable with a group dynamic where membership of the group was
varied and included participants who were STEM teachers and generalist career
advisors. One interviewee commented that some of the participants were resistant
to ‘forced sharing’ citing a sense of feeling under scrutiny.
6.4 One interviewee highlighted a difference between careers advisors being more
practically focused and less critically reflective yet working without a curriculum. This
individual noted a tangible difference in the style of articulation between teachers
and career advisors, which was claimed also to be evident in participants’ portfolios.
6.5 Exploiting the success of the pilot and maximising its learning requires an
investment in sustainable practice, continued funding and long-term investment.
The success of the module should be more than an improved and increased ability to
access online resources such as those found on the National STEM website. This
comes down in part to the workload management of teachers, carefully arranged
Watermeyer 2012 14
CPD programmes and determining which and how many people should be afforded
time and money.
6.6 A concern that students might go-to-ground outwith the face-to-face sessions
was in part realised by low levels of e-mail correspondence and a paucity of online
interactions. Both course tutors revealed that it was difficult to maintain contact
with members of their tutor groups.
6.7 A highpoint observation was that attendance across all training days was high
and matched by a high completion rate among participants.
7. Final Observations
7.1 Course tutors reported evidence of culture change among participants at the
level of institution, reported in students portfolios’ and ‘evidence of practice change
in the school’. It may consequently be reasonably inferred that, individual learning
through the careers module may impact on a broader and more diffuse level, where
enrolled students impart and share new knowledge and skills with colleagues when
back-in-school. Of course much of in-school culture change depends upon senior
management buy-in and the extent to which teachers returning from their
experience of the careers module are licensed to operationalize their learning by
embedding it in their delivery of the curriculum.
7.2 The situation in Wales is further exacerbated by the notable exception of a
regional science learning centre.
7.3 The success of the pilot in terms of completion rates and the continued
attendance of students at training days is all the more remarkable given the context
of considerable downscaling of the careers service in England, and ominous signs of
the same in Wales. One member of the delivery team referred to this as a ‘cataclysm
in the middle of the course’ where numbers among the student cohort were
vulnerable to losing their jobs. It is unknown whether any among the student cohort,
engaged as professional careers advisors, have subsequently had their employment
terminated.
7.4 In total 18 from a cohort of 24 students fully completed all aspects of the course
assessment. This is recognised as a particularly high success rate and especially
significant when considering external factors and pressures such as the downscaling
and closure of connexions services and the relatively restricted time-scale for turn-
around of assessable outputs.
7.5 Much can be seen in the course not only as a means of credentializing in STEM
guidance but in affecting teachers and advisors as a confident deliverers of STEM
advice. Teachers have an additional pressure as direct representatives of STEM and
as role-models for young learners. Their ability to provide up-to-the-minute advice,
Watermeyer 2012 15
recommendations and a network for students is indispensable to the learners future
pathways and what we might think of occupational imaginaries in STEM.
8. Recommendations
1. Dedicated careers guidance lessons do not have a good reputation in schools. One
recommendation is that teachers of science, mathematics and design & technology
take opportunities, where appropriate and as available, to embed elements of STEM
careers awareness to contextualise their teaching and help bring their subject to life.
This should become second nature to the teacher and appear seamless with the
subject content by students. This creates a training need in both initial and in-service
training. The STEM careers training module should be available for use in the initial
and in-service training of STEM teachers.
2. The careers module should be a mandatory element of the post-graduate
certificate in education (PGCE), providing newly-qualified teachers (NQTs) with a firm
grounding in the types of information resources and networks available to them in
steering their students subject and occupational choices.
3. The careers module should be made available not only to those teaching within
secondary education but those in primary education. It was argued among interview
participants that targeting children’s STEM enthusiasms and interests should begin
at the earliest stage possible. Children should be made aware of progression
pathways in STEM from a very early age. It was reported that, ‘one of the significant
problems we’ve got is that children from the age nine to ten have little idea of how
to progress in maths and science’.
4. Investment in STEM careers guidance should form an integral part of school’s
teaching strategy.
5. Head-teachers in primary schools might constitute a priority recruit for the
module, reflecting a need for top-down buy-in and managerial prioritisation.
6. Increased employed engagement was viewed by stakeholders as essential in
building teachers and careers advisors contact networks and also an awareness of
existing opportunities and developments across STEM industries; especially in
emerging STEM domains. This could be co-ordinated within the module via a short-
term work placement, furnishing teachers/advisors with a first-hand account of
industry needs and the kinds of knowledge and skills demanded. In addition, where
STEM based companies have learing and teaching/training officers these should be
approached and included within the programme.
7. The STEM careers module should be administered via teachers’ inset days.
Watermeyer 2012 16
8. The module requires ‘badging’ and recognition as a core component of teachers
and advisors ‘continuous professional development’.
9. The Future
9.1 It is currently a difficult time for STEM careers guidance, with retrenchment
across the careers service, yet consistent messaging from government in the
importance of investment in STEM and the correlation between inculcation of STEM
cultures in learners’ employment imaginaries at an early stage, and the long-term
buoyancy of a UK economy whose regeneration is increasingly aligned to STEM.
9.2 The pilot careers module has been recently validated by the University of
Glamorgan and will run as a bite-size option module of 10 credits, offered through
the University of the Heads of the Valleys Initiative (UHOVI). The co-ordination of
the module in this way is especially significant given UHOVI’s geographical situation,
the South Wales Valleys, where achievement in STEM is purported to be one quarter
of the Welsh average.
9.3 The value of the pilot exercise to those who took part cannot be underestimated.
Though, like any pilot, it suffered from teething problems, these were mainly
structural and organisational and could be easily remedied in any future roll-out.
Investment in specialist careers advice for both generalist careers advisors but also
arguably more importantly, STEM teachers, is it would appear essential in
communicating effectively and reliably to learners the wealth of opportunities in
STEM available to them. The careers module as a mechanism bridging education and
employment in STEM is incontrovertibly not only a good but essential thing in
fostering not only a more cohesive and holistic discourse of careers advice but in
serving and scaffolding future generations of STEMists.
Watermeyer 2012 17
Appendix
1. Précis of Training Day 1. January 19th 2012
A large number of 24 individuals signed up from a broad demographic and
professional base.
The programme organisers had voiced initial concerns of a lack of demand and take-
up, which was ultimately proved not to be the case.
The session occurred in Cardiff University’s ‘Careers and Employability Centre’ and in
a very cramped room.
4 desks were arranged either side of the room with participants crowded around –
immediately an issue of space and lack of chairs – stalling. The course delivery team
considered ‘losing tables’.
Exactly half of the participants were from Wales and exactly half from England.
Participants comprise: science and maths teacher and careers advisors from FE
colleges and universities.
Participants were provided an informative to history of the STEM module and an
account explicating the involvement of the delivery team.
This was followed by an icebreaker quiz focused on STEM careers which involved a
range of multi-choice questions such as:
How much more do you earn if you have a maths ‘A’ –levels – the majority
answer correctly - 10%
Where does Britain come in the list of the largest manufacturing countries –
the least amount opt for the correct amount 7th –
The quiz generated significant interest and surprise from participants with a number
taking notes. The quiz generated some spontaneous q and a between the delivery
team and participants and ended aspirationally – focusing on previous British
recipients of the Nobel prize.
Students were subsequently provided a short time for quiet reflection and to
individually compose their expectations for the course. Students were then invited
to introduce each other and share these hopes/expectations and what they hope to
get out of the day(s).
These expectations were then disseminated in plenary and comprised:
- To learn more, to feel more confident in dealing with students and staff
- Understanding of subject developments, labour market information
Watermeyer 2012 18
- The relevance of academic STEM subjects to vocational students
- Background of STEM when talking to employers – linkage work for
teachers/employers especially those teachers who might be out of touch
- Increasing confidence in giving the right advice to students considering a
career-change
- Knowledge of transferable skills – the diversity of STEM careers
- Improve ability to promote STEM
- Alignment of course selection at HE with occupational opportunities
- Supporting children in the primary sector – up to par with students coming
from non-UK cultural contexts where STEM has a different level of kudos
- Increase creativity – capacity to be aspirational
- Science teachers - to increase motivation, unveil opportunities for students
- Promote stem careers to all abilities
- Strategies to engage students and colleagues
- ‘a little more ammunition when I’m promoting STEM subjects . . . . and that
STEM subject areas are complementary’ – showing children the links
- Access to employers and how to use employers
All aspects of the morning session are delivered by the tutors with aplomb and
consistent signposting, with students remaining visibly engaged throughout.
The afternoon session provides an opportunity for participants to hear from a panel
fo four STEM employers:
- Each employer provides a biographical and a sense of company/company
mission – vocational opportunities – broadness and interchangeabilty of
STEM skills – diversity of career opportunities
- Concrete examples of occupational opportunities and the necessary
educational requirements and educational opportunities – to be trained up –
apprenticeships
- One of the participants questioned the panel: “Should my son really be that
concerned about his choices at Year 9?” Response: “He should be aware of
what the barriers are.”
- Challenging debate on hierarchy
- An emphasis on engagement
Following the ‘employer session’ groups are divided into two camps –
Wales/England
This provides an opportunity for feedback from employers session:
- Good to hear not just about Ph.Ds – school-kids aren’t aware of other routes
to a STEM career – such as apprenticeships etc.
Watermeyer 2012 19
- A concern over subject-choice fatalism
- Pat offers an open session for Wales based questions
In the final plenary session, the course tutor ran through the timeline for the
evaluation – time management etc. and took any further questions.
2. References
Garnham, D. (2010) Science for careers: Report of the Science and Society expert
group. London: HMSO.
Holman, J. & Finegold, P. (2010) Stem careers review. Report to the Gatsby
Charitable Foundation. London: Gatsby Foundation.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (2003) OECD
review of career guidance policies. United Kingdom country note. Paris: OECD.
Silver, R. (2010) Towards a strong careers profession. An independent report to the
Department for Education. London: HMSO.
Welsh Government. (2012) Science for Wales. Cardiff: Welsh Government.
_____________________________________________________________________
top related