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Shape the Future and the STEM Directories
Over the past 20 years the engineering
community has witnessed a variety of campaigns, projects and
initiatives aimed at improving the perception of engineering,
in particular targeting young people. The Royal Academy of
Engineering launched the Shape the Future
campaign in 2005 and it is now the banner under which the
engineering community has agreed to work together to improve
the promotion, delivery and information systems that will
provide better coordinated support for engineering and
technology in schools and colleges.
As the promotional tool of technology
and engineering in schools, Shape the Future is all
about maximising impact, creating leverage and bringing coherence
to the crowded marketplace. The campaign is now owned by the
wider technology and engineering communities and the steering
group includes representatives from science education and
STEM networks. However we have to engage with more schools
that do not have engineering or technology on their radar
screens if we are to overturn the dearth of young people
who choose engineering as a career.
Campaign Update
STEPS at Work
The partnership with teachers is crucial
to influencing more young people to consider an engineering
career and this has been further enhanced by a joint programme
with the National Education Business Partnerships Network (NEBPN)
to launch Shape the Future STEPS at Work. Each
education business partnership is able to provide teachers with professional
development opportunities through focused business placements
with industry.
The programme operates across primary and
secondary schools, plus FE colleges, and targets science, technology,
engineering and maths (STEM) teacher placements. Placements are
also available to careers specialists and an objective of the
programme is to ensure all STEM teachers are aware of the latest
career opportunities for their students.
STEPS at Work is now in its second year and is
operating across seven of the English regions plus a further pilot
programme in Wales. For more details visit
www.nebpn.org
and click PDP.
The Big Draw
 Last
year, the Shape the Future campaign supported
the Campaign for Drawing and their Big Draw. The Big
Draw is a month long series of events that
encourages people of all ages to be creative and
sketch, draw and paint. The engineering drawing
experience was held at the magnificent St Pancras
International station in London on 11 October 2008,
national Big Draw Day. Visitors were able to learn
about the station’s past and present engineering
feats through ‘Walk & Draw’ tours led by expert
drawers from leading UK architectural and
engineering practices. Alastair Lansley, who managed
the station’s redevelopment, shared his unique
overview, while junior enthusiasts recorded their
journeys with storyboards and Pictionary.
During the following week,
13-17 October, school groups were invited on
Transports of Delight guided tours of the
station, led by Science and Engineering Ambassadors
(SEAs), and took part in a project to imagine and
design stations of the future. The engineering
Ambassadors were from companies including Bechtel,
Thales, Transport for London and First Capital
Connect. The school visits were supported by STEMNET
who manage the SEAs programme across the UK. To find
out more about the Big Draw, visit:
www.campaignfordrawing.org
The Independent-Bosch Technology Horizons Award
2009
essay competition is administered by the Academy
under the Shape the Future banner and has now been
running for four years. The essay theme this year
was – How can technology and engineering provide
innovative solutions for today’s global challenges?
The presentation of awards celebration will be held
at the The Royal Academy of Engineering on Wednesday
1 July where the shortlisted finalists will hear who
are the winners and runners-up.
The shortlisted finalists in the 14 – 18 age group
are;
Jonathan Morris (St Olaves Orpington Kent)
Emily Cullis (Ounsdale 6th Form College
Wombourne Wolverhampton)
Max Iles (Worcester 6th Form College),
Constance Mantle (Highgate School London)
Ben Richardson (Cults Academy Aberdeen)
Ethan Simpson (Hawick High School)
Leon Zhang (Urmston Grammar School
Manchester).
Shortlisted finalists in the 19 – 24 age group are;
Thomas Barker (Sheffield Hallam University)
Mohammad bin Jalil (Welbeck Defence 6th Form)
Holly Ferrie (Brunel University)
Su Sean Goh (London School of Economics)
Gavin Harper (Cardiff University)
Cole Souter (IET)
Alejandro Vicente-Grabovetsky (Cambridge
University)
Future engineering careers magazine
The relationship with Independent Educational Publishing has
led to the publication of Future, a careers magazine published twice per year
that goes to every secondary school, FE college and university careers
department in the UK. Featuring many different engineering disciplines
the magazine it is aimed at 14+ students and is available free from the Academy.
Contact info@shapethefuture.org.uk to obtain your free copy.
Directory of engineering and technology
The Shape the Future Directory
of Engineering and Technology has now been joined by
editions for Science and Mathematics. The new suite
of STEM directories of enrichment and enhancement
activities have been supported by the DCSF and
produced for teachers across the UK. To obtain
copies of the STEM directories, contact DCSF
Publications. Tel: 0845 6055560 or email
dcsf@prolog.uk.com
To find out more about the directories visit
www.stemdirectories.org.uk
The Stem Directory Science 2008/9 (2478KB)
The Stem Directory Mathematics 2008/9 (1819KB)
The Stem Directory Engineering and Technology 2008/9 (1020KB)
Engineering case study booklet
 Tsz Fok (pictured) was a first year Oxford engineering
undergraduate who produced a booklet in 2007 that inspires youngsters to view
engineering as an exciting career option. With a grant from NESTA and support
from Shape the Future, he interviewed well known people in the public eye,
and asked them what they wanted to see developed over the next 50 years.
Tsz's booklet (823KB)
has been so popular that it has now been reprinted. Tragically, Tsz was killed in a
bicycle accident just weeks after publication. His passion for engineering is captured
in this booklet and his family wishes it to be used by young people in his memory.
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