Welcome to our May round-up at The Work-wise Foundation! Last month was an exciting month filled with inspiring events and initiatives aimed at promoting STEM education and career pathways. Here's a look back at some of the highlights from this month.

Get Up to Speed with STEM 2024 Review Meeting

We kicked off the month with a highly productive review meeting for our "Get Up to Speed with STEM 2024" event. This annual event is a cornerstone of our efforts to engage young people with the exciting world of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Manufacturing and Mathematics). Our committee came together to assess the successes of the 2024 event and brainstorm ideas for making Get up to Speed with STEM 2025 even more impactful.

Some of the key takeaways from the meeting included:

• How to make the event more accessible to SEND students and Primary students. – We are discussing how to make the event more accessible and the possible introduction of opening a second day for the event.
• How to make the 15^th anniversary of GUTS the biggest and best event to date! – 2025 marks the 15^th anniversary of Get up to Speed with STEM, we plan to make this event even more amazing than ever before.
• And much more…

We are excited about the improvements and innovations planned for next year and are confident that Get Up to Speed with STEM 2025 will inspire even more young minds.

First Sector Routeways with Manufacturing and Warehousing of the Year

May also saw the launch of our first Sector Routeways program of the year, focusing on Manufacturing and Warehousing. This program is designed to give participants a deep dive into these critical sectors, offering them firsthand experience and insights into potential career paths.

Participants had the opportunity to:

• Learn about Employability Essentials
• Experience a day in industry in a Manufacturing/Warehousing business
• Expand their teamwork skills
• Gain basic first-aid skills plus an accredited certificate in Manual Handling and another in Health, Safety and Welfare at Work
• Learn about Lean Manufacturing
• Meet employers and find out what they look for in employees
• Write a CV with help from experts
• Have interview practice
• And much, much more

The candidates will spend 2 weeks on work placement after the course in hopes that they will find their place in a company in the Manufacturing and Warehousing industry. 3 of our participants have already been offered full time employment.

Remake Learning STEMFest Days

One of the highlights of May was undoubtedly the Remake Learning STEMFest Days. This series of events is dedicated to making STEM learning fun and accessible to students of all ages. Held at various locations, STEMFest Days brought together students, educators, and STEM professionals for a celebration of discovery and innovation.

We delivered 5 STEMFest Days at Wadworth Primary, Hexthorpe Primary, Woodlands Primary, and 2 sessions at Danum Gallery, Library and Museum.

Highlights from the 5 STEMFest Days included:

• Delivering a session during “Night at the Museum” at Danum Gallery, Library and Museum.
• Some great family learning!
• Seeing the amount of female engagement as well as male interaction we had.

The enthusiasm and curiosity displayed by the students was truly inspiring and rewarding. Events like these are vital in sparking a lifelong interest in STEM subjects, and we are proud to be part of this important initiative.

We received some amazing feedback from the activities:

“Thank you so much for organising such a fantastic day for the children. They had great time and we had some really positive feedback from both the children and the parents”. Headteacher

“It was great to be able to host a STEM event and to give the children the opportunity, along with their parents, to take part in a session like this that both consolidated and extended some of their learning from this year.” Primary Teacher

"I've done it! I've made a car!" Year 1 girl

“I liked building my own water wheel which was a type of renewable energy. Once you added some water, it would keep on rotating by itself” Year 3 boy

“I enjoyed looking at all of the phones from ‘a long time ago’, especially the pink one with the flower. I was surprised that they could actually fit a plane launcher into the hall as it was not very big.” Year 5 Girl

“The zip line mechanism was good to see how far you could ride it. You also had to think about what you could do to make it better.” Year 6 Boy

“Excellent presentation and interaction provided for the children” Parent

Looking Ahead

Moving through the year we have lots of exciting things coming up including; STEM Employability Summer Academy 2024, North Star Science School, More Sector Routeways Programmes, planning for Skills Street and Get up to Speed with STEM 2025, and much more.

Thank you for your continued support of The Work-wise Foundation. Together, we are making a difference in the lives of young people, opening doors to exciting careers in STEM, helping prepare young people and building a brighter future for all.

Stay curious and keep exploring!

The Work-wise Foundation Team