The STEM Engagement Europe Project Erasmus Project

Project Title

The STEM Engagement Europe Project

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 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The STEM Engagement Europe Project (SEE Project) led by Zlinsky kraj and involving partners from Ireland, the UK, the Netherlands and Turkey has identified the promotion of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) as a way to address unemployment, contribute to economic development and impact on inequalities within these vocational areas for women, those from minority backgrounds and those with disabilities. This project addresses in particular the communication from the European Commission ”Improving Competences for the 21st Century, an Agenda for European Co-operation on Schools”. The project addresses the image that many students have of such career area’s one of “dirty, difficult and exhausting jobs”.

The aim of this project is to promote STEM activity and associated careers across partners by enhancing the knowledge and skills of staff. The objectives are to exchange good practice across the partner countries through learning raids, to develop a website incorporating good practice including curriculum materials across partners, to produce a range of curriculum materials in each STEM area for partner usage, to up skill staff in each partner country including knowledge and to impact on vocational students career choices and to produce a succinct strategy paper for dissemination to strategists in each partner country.

Through 5 learning raids 120 staff from partner countries visited hosting countries and learn from the practice there. This was organized through observation/shadowing/lecture/workshop/discussion and other practical methods. The participants were vocational teachers, strategists and a small number of STEM ambassadors all involved in STEM promotion and development. Delegates cascade information and learning in their own country.

The project developed a website, a resource directory for partner countries, a STEM in Action pack and a set of videos showcasing excellent teaching practice across the partners identified through learning raids.
The project delivers the up skilling and development of staff, the creation of new and powerful resources, the creation of a more innovative curriculum which will address inequality and recognise diversity, the improvement of life chances for young people and the sharing good practice.

The long term benefits include the addressing of skill shortages through influencing and encouraging young people to choose these careers, the addressing of worklessness and dropout by improved teaching resources and a more appealing curriculum and the development of national and European strategies through learning and sharing good practice.

The project concluded with a final conference in the Czech Republic aimed at disseminating practice as wide as possible and attended by delegates from most of the partners as well as a wide range of invited delegates.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 214550 Eur

Project Coordinator

Zlínský kraj & Country: CZ

Project Partners

• Kapadokya Egitim Akademisi Dernegi
• SES13-19 LTD
• STICHTING REGIONAAL ONDERWIJS CENTRUM ‘S HERTOGENBOSCH
• Galway and Roscommon Education & Training Board