Six universities in the UK have announced plans to work as part of a major initiative to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) throughout England and Wales. The universities will develop and initiate activities in their regions as part of the National Higher Education STEM Programme, a £21 million, three-year initiative funded by the Higher Education Funding Councils for England and Wales.
The Universities of Bath, Birmingham, Bradford, Manchester Metropolitan, Southampton and Swansea will act as focus for regional activities to engage local workforces in higher education learning. They will also seek to enhance the undergraduate student experience in the STEM disciplines by helping students develop the skills required by employers; engage young people in STEM disciplines; and widen participation in these subjects among school students.
The National Higher Education STEM Programme is an initiative aiming to generate interest in STEM subjects among young people, enhance higher level skills in the workplace and increase accessibility of higher education courses in these subjects. Though focused around science, technology, engineering and mathematics, it will primarily support chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics - STEM subjects that have been deemed strategically important and vulnerable. The programme will also involve the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Physics, the Royal Academy of Engineering and a consortium of mathematical bodies, building on their work in the earlier pilot stage.
The National Higher Education STEM programme will work to support higher education institutions and encourage them to explore new approaches to recruiting students and delivering programmes of study within the STEM disciplines. It will facilitate the transfer of best practice across STEM subjects and encourage innovation. The programme will focus on sustainable activities with the potential to achieve long-term impact rather than ones that provide short-term gains. It will work with a range of other partners including the National STEM Centre, STEMNET and others.
The six regional 'spoke' universities will work collaboratively with other higher education institutions in their region. The University of Birmingham will serve as the ‘hub’ of the programme, acting as co-ordinator and being responsible for the dissemination of good practice across the regions. Regional events will be held throughout November and December to bring together higher education institutions and discuss priorities for regional activities.
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