£3m has been allocated by emda to help fund equipment in schools to make vocational science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education more interesting. The programme also aims to target Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) which have not traditionally engaged with schools in their area. In doing so, the goal is to enhance the experience of students studying STEM subjects and ensure education reflects local business needs. For more information about the programme, please contact or visit http://www.catapultingkidsfurther.co.uk/
Catapulting Kids Programme covers:
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Catapulting Kids Further!
The Catapulting Kids Further! pilot programme will support applied learning in the East Midlands. The Delegated Grant Fund has been awarded to Delivery Partnerships offering the new Diploma in 2008-2009 in Regional Economic Strategy (RES), and Employment, Skills and Productivity (esp), priority sectors, these are: Engineering, Construction and the Built Environment, Society, Health and Development, Manufacturing and Product Design, Land Based and Environment.
The Delegated Grant Fund offers capital support for state schools and colleges (Delivery Partnerships) in order to enhance and add value to statutory learning provision and to compliment existing capital infrastructure. The aim is to replicate and simulate work-based practical experience in the class room, the learning experiences gained will be transferable to the work place for ‘real’ work experience application. This intervention will allow additional practical experience for young people to stimulate their interest in regional priority sectors by providing the latest high tech, industry standard equipment that provides a real WOW factor. A total of eleven Delivery Partnerships have received funding for 2008/09.
The programme is also aimed at increasing the number of businesses using education based training facilities, with them providing information and training sessions to both young people and their own workforce. The equipment is also available to the wider community and linked to other local training initiatives, for example this may include open days for adults considering training and/or re-training. A further aim is to increase collaborative working between schools, colleges and universities.
For further information please contact: Lesley Hilton, Catapulting Kids Further! Project Manager, East Midland NTI Ltd, The Innovation Centre, 49 Oxford Street, Leicester LE1 5XY, 0116 207 8299, .
The Catapulting Caunton project funded by the East Midlands Development Agency (emda), will create a dedicated multi-purpose classroom and simulated production line, providing placements to three regional schools for the 14-19 Diploma in Engineering, a minimum of three teacher industry exchanges and will seek to increase its Apprenticeship numbers from five to ten.
- In April Caunton welcomed a group of students who will soon be studying at the new Mansfield Samworth Church Academy (one of three academies Caunton are currently supplying the structural steelwork for). The purpose of the visit was to better involve the students in understanding the construction process of their school. Through the use of the Academy the students were shown the full process of how Caunton are manufacturing the building’s steel skeleton.
- Also in April, two pupils from Kimberley School joined the team at Caunton for a week’s work experience. Both pupils had the chance to experience various aspects of the business through the use of the Academy, built using emda grant funding.
- Caunton’s work experience programme has proved so popular that they now have a further twelve students scheduled to undertake work experience at Caunton over the coming summer months.
For more information about the programme, please contact: or visit http://www.eastmidlandsnti.co.uk/CatapultingKidsFurther/