EngineeringUK and the City & Guilds Foundation have launched an ambitious five-year initiative to enhance access to sustained, high-quality STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) experiences for secondary school students. The announcement precedes Tomorrow’s Engineers Week 2025, scheduled from 10 to 14 November.
This path-breaking partnership will offer significant multi-year bursaries and expert support to schools, aiming to transition from sporadic events to a culture of continuous STEM engagement. The project seeks to improve students’ academic performance and inspire aspirations for STEM careers, particularly among disadvantaged and underrepresented groups.
Amanda Aldercotte, Head of Evaluation and Impact at EngineeringUK, stated, “We’re excited to partner with the City & Guilds Foundation on this first-of-its-kind project. We want to support schools in offering all their students access to meaningful, sustained STEM experiences that support their aspirations and future careers.”
Polly Rowe, Head of Foundation Programmes and Engagement at City & Guilds Foundation, added, “We are delighted to be working with EngineeringUK and supporting their initiative focused on pupils facing economic and geographical disadvantages. Inspiring children to engage with STEM activities during secondary education will improve academic outcomes and unlock life-changing opportunities, while helping to address the acute skills shortage in the UK STEM sector.”
Over the course of five years, the initiative will be rigorously evaluated to monitor how participating students’ educational choices differ from those in schools lacking this support. These findings will inform future investments in and integration of STEM engagement within school curricula and career guidance.
Examples of activities include hands-on STEM workshops, engineering-related school trips, class-based engineering simulations, enhanced resource lessons linking STEM to current issues, extra-curricular STEM clubs, and career talks from industry professionals.
For further details on EngineeringUK’s evaluation work, visit their Evaluation page.
