Attracting students to engineering

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NATIONAL ENGINEERING PROGRAMME

• Attracting students to engineering
• Matthew Harrison

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NATIONAL ENGINEERING PROGRAMME

• Attracting students to engineering three steps
• Raise aspiration
• Raise attainment at school
• Raise rates of progression through level 3 and
  beyond

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NATIONAL ENGINEERING PROGRAMME

• Attracting students to engineering three more
  steps
• Enthuse at a young age change the world, become
  an engineer
• Support key decision points at school (options,
  Level 3 courses) with good quality information
• Enrich the school curriculum to increase
  attainment and progression

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NATIONAL ENGINEERING PROGRAMME

• What are the barriers to attracting students to
  engineering?
• A brief pyramid analysis

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NATIONAL ENGINEERING PROGRAMME

• What can engineering offer students that is
  special or particularly attractive?
• A brief pyramid analysis

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NATIONAL ENGINEERING PROGRAMME

• The London Engineering Project (LEP)

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• The London Engineering Project (LEP) a
  consortium effort to both increase and widen
  participation in engineering higher education by
  thinking nationally and acting locally.

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• Increasing participation means getting more
  people to study subjects related to engineering
  at university.

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• Widening participation in the context of the
  LEP means going to neighbourhoods where HE
  participation rates are low and engaging with
  groups that are under-represented in engineering
  women, students from minority ethnic groups,
  students from families with no experience of HE
  and adult learners.

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The LEP Approach

• To develop inspiring engineering-related
  courses in local universities and to work in
  schools to identify and support students in
  taking up places on those courses.

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The LEP in universities

• London South Bank University
• University of Sussex
• UCL
• Cambridge-MIT Institute

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The LEP in Schools

• The LEP will take a cross-curriculum approach
  in schools connecting the whole curriculum to
  technology so that all schools can engage, not
  just those with a SET specialism.
• The LEP will apply the progression curriculum
  approach in 35 primary schools building
  confidence and an appetite for HE at KS2 and
  preparing the ground for more detailed work at
  KS3.

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The LEP in Schools (Cont.)

• The LEP will work in an inclusive way at KS3
  in 15 secondary schools. This will identify
  students with an aptitude for mathematics and/or
  logical thinking who will subsequently benefit
  from mentoring and personalised learning
  opportunities. This cohort represent the most
  likely early entrants into HE.

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Cross-Sector Themes

• Using market intelligence to make all LEP
  activities culturally relevant in south London.
• Making all LEP activities gender appropriate.
• Connecting students with local employers who
  are seeking people just like them.

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LEP Finance and Governance

• The LEP is a partnership between Government,
  universities, the voluntary sector, schools and
  industry. It is managed by a project team
  centred on LSBU and led by The Royal Academy of
  Engineering.
• The governance is achieved by a steering group
  of the partners and enabled by service level
  agreements between the Academy and individual
  partners.

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LEP Success Indicators

• Success means
• More students from the four target groups into
  university, a good number studying
  engineering-related courses.
• Schools transformed in the way they engage
  with science, engineering, technology and
  mathematics.
• A legacy of inspiring university courses with
  a route for disseminating best practice.
• The LEP experience repeated in six other
  cities around England.

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LEP Evaluation

• A three stage evaluation of
• Aspiration raising
• Attainment
• Progression
• will be evaluated by an independent impact
  assessment group

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LEP Partners

• The Royal Academy of Engineering
• London South Bank University and Aspire Aimhigher
  South East London
• Cambridge-MIT Institute
• University of Sussex
• University College London
• Young Engineers
• The Smallpeice Trust
• The African-Caribbean Network for Science and
  Technology
• The UK Resource Centre for Women in Science
  Engineering and Technology
• SETNET
• The BA
• The Engineering Professors Council
• The University of Liverpool
• Thames Water
• The Brightside Trust.

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NATIONAL ENGINEERING PROGRAMME