Full STEAM Ahead – Year 2 of this exciting ERASMUS international project gets off to a flying start!

Having recruited and successfully completed a busy year of STEAM related trips, activities and work with our team of Y9 ambassadors last year, including completing our first successful exchange visit to our Spanish school partners, in the autumn of 2018 we embarked on the start of Year 2 of our 3 year, innovative international project.

Staff from all 3 schools met at the German partner school in Koblenz in late September to evaluate our work so far, and to plan the year ahead for our ambassadors. This involved lots of meetings, lesson observations, analysis of feedback from students, parents, staff, business partners and other stakeholders, to formulate a robust plan of action to ensure our ambassadors gain more knowledge and skills around STEAM subjects and careers to help inspire them, and to assist them as ambassadors to promote these subjects to younger peers in school.

German partner school (above and below)

Students have participated in a STEAM careers workshop to explore some careers that might suit their personalities linked to Science, Technology, engineering, Arts and Maths. We then used this data to pair them up for business visits to relevant local STEAM related industries. In small teams, the students assumed roles of videographer, photographer, sound engineer, journalist and interviewed people in their work place to gain more knowledge about their career pathways and their current roles.

In November and December small groups visited Sheffield Hallam University to explore careers related to Science and Arts, Sheffield Chiropractic Clinic to look at careers in the healthcare sector, Graves Leisure Centre to investigate careers in Sports and personal training/coaching, and Gripple Ltd to explore careers in engineering and manufacturing.

CHIROPRACTOR:

 

Qualities and qualifications needed for this job –“ Good Science GCSE and A-Level grades (preferably 3 Sciences) and you need to be caring, a good communicator and want to help people” (Izzy, Y10 STEAM ambassador)

SHU TRIPS - ART:

    

“From this visit I have learnt that there isn’t always just 1 pathway to take with your qualifications, but a range of different positions in this sector. The fashion department was amazing. It had plenty of resources and lots of interesting projects. It showed just how varied the industry can be and the extent of what happens in it” (Katie, Y10 STEAM ambassador)

“The visit has definitely inspired me about jobs in the Art sector - it has opened my eyes to how much there is to do at University and how many different roles there are” (Emma, Y10 STEAM ambassador)

SHU TRIP – SCIENCE:

                

“From this visit I have discovered that there is a huge demand for people to work in these (Science/engineering) areas, and how big a part robotics and automation play in industry today” (Nathan, Y10 STEAM ambassador)

Advice for a teenager interested in Science/research related careers: “Keep your options open, find out where your interests are, focus on that area and put in the work and study. Enjoy it!” (Senior lecturer of engineering, SHU)

 

 

 

 

 

GRAVES LEISURE:

    

“From this visit I have learnt that to be a personal trainer/coach I need to study Physics and bio-mechanics which are related to arms/biceps/triceps” (Oliver, Y10 STEAM ambassador)

Advice for teenagers interested in this type of career “Work hard, choose the right subjects (English, Maths and Sports Science), and join a gym!” (Chris, Personal trainer)

All UK ambassadors hosted their first event as ambassadors at our Year 6 Open evening for parents and primary school pupils who visited Meadowhead in early October to see what our school has to offer. (picture above and below)