Scotland Makes STEM Work

Forth Valley College in Scotland showcased the wide range of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) careers available to young people across Forth Valley this week with their first ever ‘Making STEM Work’ Conference.

Over 100 delegates – including school pupils, teachers and current Forth Valley College students – attended the College’s Falkirk Campus on Wednesday 1 June.

They attended a range of exciting workshops delivered by the College’s teaching departments, Dogfi.sh Mobile, Diageo, Charles River, Historic Environment Scotland, Scottish Power Energy Networks, Equate Scotland, and Skills Development Scotland amongst others.

The ‘Making STEM Work’ conference was part of the ‘Big Bang Scotland’ programme which plays a vital role in inspiring the UK’s future scientists and engineers at a regional, local and school level. 

The occasion sponsored by MacRoberts LLP marked the College’s reaccreditation of STEM Assured Status - an industry led quality mark awarded by the STEM Foundation - and also offered an opportunity to explore new partnership initiatives related to STEM.

Dr Ken Thomson, Principal of Forth Valley College, said:

“STEM is central to our mission ‘Making Learning Work’. STEM cuts across all aspects of college activity and we offer opportunities at all points of the skills pipeline offering seamless progression from school right through to the workplace. It was a pleasure to hold our first ever ‘Making STEM Work’ conference and showcase the wide range of exciting STEM careers out there.  We hope the delegates found the event both informative and inspiring and will now go onto pursue a career in STEM.

“We were also delighted to have a formal presentation for the reaccreditation of our STEM Assured Status at our celebration event. We were the first college in Scotland to achieve this prestigious status back in 2012 and it continues to be an excellent endorsement of the quality of our STEM Provision. This event also provided an opportunity to highlight the College’s STEM Journey and explore new STEM Initiatives with partners and colleagues.

Professor Sa'ad Medhat, CEO of the STEM Foundation said:

"Proficiency in the development of STEM skills is critical to ensure economies stay buoyant and Scottish regions grow their GDP value. STEM Assured is the recognised gold standard in STEM education.

“Employers working with STEM Assured colleges can be confident that the educational offering is impactful and supports their skills needs to drive their business growth. Congratulations to Forth Valley College on maintaining their STEM Assured status.

“The STEM Assured standard ensures students have highly developed employability skills that enable them to work across multiple industry sectors.

“We also have seen that the STEM Assured process motivates STEM staff and supports a cross-college drive for innovative STEM provision.

“STEM affects all our lives and is never more pervasive and encompassing than in the world of digital. STEM Assured enables colleges to design cross-curricula programmes that leverage the connected power of technology, and provide learners with digital skills that will support their progression to higher education and employment."

Valerie Surgenor, MacRoberts LLP said:

“MacRoberts is delighted to support Forth Valley College in this unique and inspiring event. STEM provides an innovative and interdisciplinary approach to learning, which is world leading. As a Scottish based law firm, we have long established links with the further education sector and we will continue to work with organisations to deliver and enhance the opportunities for young people in Scotland.”