A bursary scheme has opened to help schools across the UK remove barriers to hands-on STEM activities.
Aimed at inspiring students who don’t see STEM as “for them”, secondary schools with high proportions of groups underrepresented in engineering are eligible to apply for the scheme run by EUK Education.
The £700 bursaries can be used to fund an activity featured on Neon, a dedicated platform with quality-assured science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) activities. Neon hosts a wide range of workshops, trips and events from leading providers, alongside inspiring case studies and supportive resources to help teachers raise aspirations. Alternatively, bursaries can be used for schools to host a Big Bang at School event, a day filled with exciting STEM activities, workshops and project work.
Susi Farnworth, Head of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at EngineeringUK commented: “A great STEM experience can change how a student sees themselves and their future. Our bursaries help schools bring learning to life with exciting activities. Through these, we’re looking forward to more young people from all backgrounds building confidence and curiosity through engineering and technology and to inspiring a diverse future workforce.”
Last year’s bursary scheme enabled over 26,000 students take part in a host of STEM activities exploring areas such as robotics, astrophysics, and applied design. 88% of teachers taking part said the bursary enabled them to involve more students from underrepresented backgrounds. 84% of teachers said that without the bursary, their schools would not have been able to take part at all.
While a single STEM outreach activity can be inspiring, research suggests that providing young people with ongoing repeated experience is more effective in building interest and aspirations. EUK Education’s bursary scheme aims to inspire teachers to keep engaging with STEM outreach as long-term interaction fosters lasting interest in engineering among young people. 97% of teachers who had taken advantage of a bursary said that they would be interested in a future engagement.
Applications for bursaries are now open and close at 5pm on Monday 20 July.
