Semta launches STEM initiative

Skills specialist Semta has been commissioned and funded by The Education and Training Foundation to develop and deliver a project to drive up standards in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) teaching and training across England. The STEM Alliance brings together further education and industry to develop a higher level of competence, confidence and collaboration in STEM teaching and learning, to inspire and equip the next generation of engineers, scientists and technicians with the skills to succeed. Activities The STEM Alliance will focus on include: • Identifying and sharing good practice and the best resources • Delivering a series of workshops and events for new and existing STEM teachers and tutors • Increasing the number of staff entering STEM training programmes and retaining them • Actively engaging with employers, including employer secondment and work placement opportunities for tutors and trainers A STEM register will be created, with the aim of signing up more than 1,000 employers to provide work-based professional development for STEM teachers and tutors. Semta will work with a number of the 138,000 employers it represents in the engineering and advanced manufacturing sector, colleges, schools and training providers to deliver the project, which is officially launched at the House of Lords on Tuesday October 21. Sarah Sillars OBE, Semta CEO, said: "A key outcome of the project is to increase employer engagement with teachers and tutors to ensure STEM training for Apprenticeships, Higher Apprenticeships and Further Education is closely aligned to the work environment." She added: "It is an exciting time for the UK's engineering and advanced manufacturing sector and this project will complement other initiatives aimed at aligning education with employers needs to ensure we have the skilled workers required to power our economy."