Raising Awareness and Interest in STEAM Employment Erasmus Project

Project Title

Raising Awareness and Interest in STEAM Employment

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Overcoming skills mismatches (basic/transversal); Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment

Project Summary

The STEAM field is one of the main agents of change in the 21st century. Efforts need to be made to create more awareness and interest in STEAM employment. There is a skills shortage across the EU and STEAM careers are one of the top 5 mismatch priority occupations and Member States indicate that there will be a shortage of people with VET qualifications in the future (CEDEFOP, 2016).

Objectives:

1. To develop an app to raise interest and increase awareness in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics (STEAM) employment.

2. To make Vocational Education and Training (VET) careers a priority within the STEAM field.

3. To support inclusive education by making VET career information more accessible to put an emphasis on vocation applied learning.

4. To de-stereotype stereotypes in STEAM professions and shift gender perceptions in relation to STEAM careers.

5. To provide career guidance in STEAM careers and labour market information so that people can make well-informed decisions.

6. To provide guidance on the skill-sets required for STEAM careers to bridge the skills gap.

7. To raise importance on work based learning in skills acquisition.

8. To inspire students to take up STEAM subjects through interaction with STEAM professionals, exhibits and science communication events.

9. To increase the science capital of families and as a result, the likelihood of children taking up STEAM careers.

10. To help tackle the issue of Early School Leavers by offering VET as an alternative education and career pathway.

Profile of participants:

The project involves the participation of 6 partner organizations from 5 different European countries who are currently working towards raising awareness on STEAM subjects and careers. Among the partners, strengths and capabilities include app design, science communication training, job shadowing experiences, contact with a large number of visitors and schools through their organizations and HR personnel with experience in developing exhibits and activities to promote STEAM careers. This project is targeting a general non-specialist audience from educational and employment sector and the general public such as students, youths and adults, families, STEAM Teachers and STEAM Professionals/ Researchers.

Intellectual outputs

1. Development of an app to raise awareness and interest in STEAM employment

2. Two Science Communication Training Modules

3. ‘De-stereotyping Stereotypes in STEAM Careers’ Open Educational Resource

4. Development of Job Shadowing Experience

5. Project Website as a dissemination platform

Multiplier Events:

1. Students- STEAM Career Cafés

2. STEAM/VET Career Days

3. Events to develop STEAM Career Ambassadors

4. Launching event for the ‘De-stereotyping Stereotypes in STEAM Careers’ Open Educational Resource

4. Concluding Conference to disseminate project results

Methodology:

The methodology of the project will include discussions, research and the creation of open educational resources, training and job shadowing opportunities for capacity building. Furthermore dissemination will be given utmost importance. Dissemination activities such as training to develop STEAM Career Ambassadors, Career Cafés to reach students and teachers and STEAM Career Days to reach not only educational entities, but also the general public. In line with the respective data protection regulations, the partner organizations will keep themselves informed on the subject choices of participants of the Career Cafés through tracer studies. The activities and transnational meetings carried out will create a platform for participation to encourage sharing of experiences and good practices. Evaluation will also be crucial to the success of the project and this will be carried out through qualitative and quantitative tools.

Results and impacts during the project:

More awareness on STEAM and VET careers available in the partner countries, with a focus on priority occupations, gender equality and the required qualifications and experiences.

Results and Impacts on completion of the project:

1. An increased awareness of STEAM employment opportunities in the EU partner countries as a result of intellectual outputs developed such as the app, and multuiplier events organised such as the STEAM career days.

2. An open educational resource titled ‘De-stereotyping Stereotypes in STEAM Careers’ which will be available to disseminate across Europe which will address the issue of stereotypes in STEAM careers.

3. Published research on STEAM careers, with priority being given to VET careers around Europe.

4. Enhanced professional development, competencies and skills of science communicators and STEAM/VET professionals.

5. An increase in the number of students taking up STEAM subjects at school and improved gender balance in relation to uptake of STEAM subjects.

6. An increase in the number of students taking up VET subjects at school and improved gender balance in relation to VET courses.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 383329,62 Eur

Project Coordinator

Malta Council for Science and Technology & Country: MT

Project Partners

• USTANOVA HISA EKSPERIMENTOV
• GROUSSGASMASCHINN
• Glasgow Science Centre Charitable Trust
• S.I.S.S.A. MEDIALAB SRL
• MALTA COLLEGE OF ARTS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY