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Shape the Future and the STEM Directories
Over the past 20 years the engineering
community has witnessed a variety of campaigns, projects and
initiatives aimed at improving the perception of engineering,
in particular targeting young people. The Royal Academy of
Engineering launched the Shape the Future
campaign in 2005 and it is now the banner under which the
engineering community has agreed to work together to improve
the promotion, delivery and information systems that will
provide better coordinated support for engineering and
technology in schools and colleges.
As the promotional tool of technology
and engineering in schools, Shape the Future is all
about maximising impact, creating leverage and bringing coherence
to the crowded marketplace. The campaign is now owned by the
wider technology and engineering communities and the steering
group includes representatives from science education and
STEM networks. However we have to engage with more schools
that do not have engineering or technology on their radar
screens if we are to overturn the dearth of young people
who choose engineering as a career.
Campaign Update
STEPS at Work
The partnership with teachers is crucial
to influencing more young people to consider an engineering
career and this has been further enhanced by a joint programme
with the National Education Business Partnerships Network (NEBPN)
to launch Shape the Future STEPS at Work. Each
education business partnership is able to provide teachers with professional
development opportunities through focused business placements
with industry.
The programme operates across primary and
secondary schools, plus FE colleges, and targets science, technology,
engineering and maths (STEM) teacher placements. Placements are
also available to careers specialists and an objective of the
programme is to ensure all STEM teachers are aware of the latest
career opportunities for their students.
STEPS at Work is now in its second year and is
operating across seven of the English regions plus a further pilot
programme in Wales. For more details visit
www.nebpn.org
and click PDP.
The Big Draw
 The
Shape the Future campaign will again be
supporting the Campaign for Drawing and their Big
Draw. The Big Draw is a month long series of events
throughout October that encourages all ages to be
creative and sketch, draw and paint. The engineering
drawing experience will start this year in the
magnificent St Pancras International station in
London on Saturday 11 October, national Big Draw
Day. Visitors can learn about the station’s past
and present engineering feats with ‘Walk & Draw’
tours (10.30-11.30, 12.45-2.30, 3-5pm) led by expert
drawers from leading UK architectural and
engineering practices. At midday, Alistair Lansley,
who managed the station’s redevelopment, will share
his unique overview, while junior enthusiasts can
record their journeys with storyboards and
pictionary.
Throughout the following week
13-17 October, school groups are invited on
Transports of Delight guided tours of the
station led by Science and Engineering Ambassadors (SEAs)
before taking part in a project to imagine and
design stations of the future. The engineering
Ambassadors will be from companies including
Bechtel, Thales, Transport for London and First
Capital Connect. The school visits are being
supported by STEMNET who manage the SEAs programme
across the UK. To find out more about the Big Draw
2008 visit
www.campaignfordrawing.org
 The Independent-Bosch
Technology Horizons Award essay competition is
administered by the Academy under the Shape the
Future banner and has now completed its third
year. The essay theme this year was - How is
technology and engineering driving change in a
country of your choice? The presentation of
awards celebration were held at the The Royal
Academy of Engineering on the 4 July with guest
presenters Bill O’Riordan FREng and Richard Noble
OBE.
The winner in the 14 – 18 age
group was Christopher Cubitt from Ilford County High
School, with runner up Thomas Shelbourn from Oakham
School. Highly commended were; Daniel O’Connor Saint Olave’s Grammar School Kent, Alex Docherty Hornsea
Sixth Form College, Fiona Robertson Haysfield School
Bath, Beth Squire Gryphon School Sherborne, and
Jonathan Stimmler JFS Harrow.
The winer in the 19 – 24 age
group was Carmel Digweed from the University of
Sheffield, with runner up Jack Sidey from the
University of Exeter. Highly commended were; Caitlin
Pearson University of Durham, Michael Ellender Keele
University, Alejandro Grabovetsky University of
Cambridge, Christopher Maidment University of
Sheffield, and Christopher Ince University of
Sheffield.
The essay competition will be
launched again in September with great cash prizes
for all the shortlisted students plus prizes for
teachers and schools.
Future engineering careers magazine
The relationship with Independent Educational Publishing has
led to the publication of Future, a careers magazine published twice per year
that goes to every secondary school, FE college and university careers
department in the UK. Featuring many different engineering disciplines
the magazine it is aimed at 14+ students and is available free from the Academy.
Contact info@shapethefuture.org.uk to obtain your free copy.
Directory of engineering and technology
The Shape the Future Directory
of Engineering and Technology has now been joined by
editions for Science and Mathematics. The new suite
of STEM directories of enrichment and enhancement
activities have been supported by the DCSF and
produced for teachers across the UK. To obtain
copies of the STEM directories, contact DCSF
Publications. Tel: 0845 6055560 or email
dcsf@prolog.uk.com
To find out more about the directories visit
www.stemdirectories.org.uk
The Stem Directory Science 2008/9 (2478KB)
The Stem Directory Mathematics 2008/9 (1819KB)
The Stem Directory Engineering and Technology 2008/9 (1020KB)
Engineering case study booklet
 Tsz Fok (pictured) was a first year Oxford engineering
undergraduate who produced a booklet in 2007 that inspires youngsters to view
engineering as an exciting career option. With a grant from NESTA and support
from Shape the Future, he interviewed well known people in the public eye,
and asked them what they wanted to see developed over the next 50 years.
Tsz's booklet (823KB)
has been so popular that it has now been reprinted. Tragically, Tsz was killed in a
bicycle accident just weeks after publication. His passion for engineering is captured
in this booklet and his family wishes it to be used by young people in his memory.
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