Institution news
Find out more: Engineering Education Grant Scheme (EEGS) and apply for a grant
All Saints’ Secondary School in north east Glasgow is celebrating after receiving a £2,816 grant from the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
The grant will help fund the school’s STEM Captains Clubs and Activities programme under which students visit local primary schools to encourage younger children to become interested in science and technology.
The project involves 11 S6 pupils who are Young STEM Ambassadors visiting primary schools and early years establishments and 8 S3 pupils who are STEM Captains working with S1 pupils in All Saints.
The S6 pupils have already made several visits to teach pupils about circuits, experiments and materials in the following primary schools: St Catherine’s, St Philomena’s, St Martha’s and St Monica’s.
The EEGS grant will allow more work to be done to create interest and awareness of STEM subjects. It will be used to buy specialist equipment such as robotics and coding equipment as well as games to improve numeracy. The group of S6 pupils are also piloting the project in the Forward Steps nursery.
The EEGS, which is run by the Institution of Engineering and Technology and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, aims to engage young people aged 5-19 in learning about engineering and to develop the professional skills of those involved in supporting Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning and careers awareness.
Lynne Mylet, Design and Technology Teacher at All Saints’, said,
“We are lucky to have a group of highly motivated and talented pupils and teachers who are keen to assist in these lessons and clubs. STEM has been a focus for us in All Saints Secondary to improve the destinations for our young people when they leave school.”
Peter Finegold, Head of Education and Skills at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said,
“STEM Captains’ Clubs and Activities” project is a fantastic example of the kind of projects the EEGS scheme aims to promote. The UK is facing a critical engineering skills shortage and showing young people how creative and exciting engineering can be is a key way of inspiring the engineers of tomorrow.”
David Lakin, Head of Education at the Institution of Engineering and Technology, said,
“In order to tackle the engineering skills gap we need more graduates and apprentices to enter the profession, and this can only happen if more school-age children – girls as well as boys – are attracted to, and choose to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects. The IET is investing considerable resource in EEGS to support vital projects like “STEM Captains’ Clubs and Activities” which highlight the exciting, creative and rewarding world of engineering careers to young people.”
Organisations capable of developing and delivering UK-based educational activities are eligible to apply to the EEGS scheme.
There are two levels of funding available. Awards of up to £5000 are available for standard applications to the fund, and up-to-four awards of £15,000 are available each year.
Notes to Editors
The Institution of Engineering and Technology is one of the world’s largest engineering institutions with over 168,000 members in 150 countries
The IET is working to engineer a better world by inspiring, informing and influencing our members, engineers and technicians, and all those who are touched by, or touch, the work of engineers. For more information visit www.theiet.org.
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers was established in 1847 and has some of the world’s greatest engineers in its history books. It is one of the fastest growing professional engineering institutions. Headquartered in London, we have operations around the world and over 120,000 members in more than 140 countries. For more information www.imeche.org.
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Margaret-Anne Orgill, IMechE External Communications Manager email: m_orgill@imeche.org