Students are increasingly interested in non-academic careers, and in support of this, many schools and colleges are hosting National Apprenticeship Week.
Within our region, Sunderland College are hosting an apprenticeship open week.
They’ve asked employers and Apprentices they work with to share their experiences, openly and frankly so you have the facts you need to decide whether an Apprentice will be good for your business. Employers will also be able to talk to the college’s specialist employer teams about training requirements.
The sessions run all day so anyone can pop in when it’s convenient to them, and food and refreshments will be available between 8am to 9am and 5pm to 7pm each day, so you can grab breakfast or a light tea on the go.
Alternatively, you can contact ambassadors@ncl-coll.ac.uk if you are a teacher interested in holding an apprenticeship event, or if you are an employer looking to outreach to schools and colleges about apprenticeships.
Schools aerospace challenge is a competition hosted by the institution of mechanical engineers. It is for all 16+ students who would like to discover the world of aerospace engineering.
Teams submit their ideas on the training of Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) operators and could win a free, five night residential course at the School of Engineering, Cranfield University (starting on 22 July 2012). Three teams will share a £5000 prize fund at an award ceremony and reception to be held in London at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in November 2012.
“I’m A Scientist” is returning for 2012 between 12th-23rd March!! As well as this, there is also an “I’m An Engineer” competition being introduced.
These are online competitions, in which students submit questions for the scientists and engineers. The scientists and engineers are then voted for by students, and are slowly evicted Big Brother style, until eventually, a winner is crowned!
For information for both teachers and for scientists and engineers please use the following links:
Google has announced their second online science fair! It is a project in partnership with CERN, Lego, National Geographic and Scientific American and a great opportunity for kids world wide. This is the largest global online science competition and it celebrates the curiosity and investigations of young scientists everywhere!
If you’re 13 to 18 years old, you can enter by submitting your entry by 1 April 2012 for your chance to win fantastic prizes. This video tells you a little more:
Community College Whitstable, from Kent, has won the most recent STEM Challenge 8! The competition asked students from across the UK to work in teams to research and propose Paralympic Sports facilities to be made available in their local area.
STEM challenge 8 asked students to find out where and how more disabled people could take part in Paralympic sports.
Following regional competitions, seven schools from across the UK were invited to the national final at the Royal College of Surgeons on Wednesday 11th January. Each team of students aged 11-14 competed in a Dragon’s Den style pitch before a panel of expert judges. Finalists included:
• Blessed Edward Oldcorne Catholic College, West Midlands
• The Community College Whitstable, South East
• The Nelson Thomlinson School, North West
• Two teams from Parklands High School, North West
• Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College, North West
• Washington School, North East
STEM Challenge 9, supported by The Paralympic Torch Relay Team – who aim to re-energise the nation after the Olympic Games and build excitement across the UK in the run up to the Paralympic Games – challenges 11-14 year olds to create a spark which lights the Paralympic Flame through the energy of human endeavour.
Closing date for registrations: Monday 23rd January. Schools wishing to enter this challenge can visit www.stemchallenges.net for further details.
The Phylum Feast is a celebration of science, bringing together aspects of biology, conservation, sustainability, healthy eating and most important of
all, fun! It is being organised voluntarily and run by students from the Newcastle Biology Society and is entirely free for your students to attend!
The event will take place on February 10th (2 days before Darwin’s birthday) between 9:30am and 2:30pm at the Great North Museum in Newcastle and will consist of 4 hands-on workshops and a sumptuous buffet where you can try and eat as many species as possible! We are looking
for Year 5 and 6 students to take part in this unique project, so if you’re interested please get in touch!
If you would like to register interest please complete the online form which can be found here: ncl.ac.uk/sage/outreach/phylum
Moorbank Botanic Garden is holding a Nature Party at the Open Day on Sunday 11thMarch, from 2 to 5pm. The idea of the party is to engage families and visitors with a broad range of hands on nature activities, such as building bug hotels, pond dipping, a treasure trail, seed planting, making bugs from recycled material etc. These will all be ‘drop-in’ activities, where people can pick and choose the activities they want to do, as well as enjoying a tour of the Garden, refreshments and purchasing plants. They are looking for volunteers to come along and either bring an activity to do on the day, or who would be willing to run activities that we provide (full instruction will be given of course).
To volunteer or to find out more information contact Helen Weddle on Helen dot Weddle at Newcastle dot ac dot uk
Inventor Trevor Baylis OBE will take centre stage at Newcastle City Library this January as part of Newcastle Science City’s “The Science of” series, a programme of events supporting the city’s efforts to bring the first regional Business and IP Centre to Newcastle.
Trevor Baylis, who shot to fame when he created the clockwork radio, will lead The Science of Innovation during “Innovation Month” at an event on 24th January 2012.
With a career built on a lifetime interest of inventing, Baylis is well known for his inspirational approach. He will share his concerns surrounding the perceived neglect of invention in the UK and how great innovations can change the world.
Joining Trevor will be Professor James Hayton, the David Goldman Professor of Innovation and Enterprise at Newcastle University, who will focus on how the influences of intangible assets such as culture, human capital and human resource management practices impact on the innovation process.
Aimed at company leaders, managers and business owners in the North East, the event is free to attend and will take place at the Newcastle City Library from 6.30pm – 9.00pm.
Calling UK teachers! Here is a an exciting competition to win a trip to London or Dubai for you and 5 students. The competition aims to help pupils put their scientific skills into practice with an engaging, real-life context and to give them the opportunity to work in international networks with schools across the Middle East and in the UK, just like real scientists.
All you have to do is ask your students to:
- identify local, national or global issues concerning water.
- design an innovative solution to one of these problems.
The competition close date is 3rd February 2012.
The Big Science Challenge was created by the British Council and Rolls-Royce. Find out more about the competition, and get further guidance and support by clicking here. Or get further inspiration about the competition theme of water on the resources page.
The Royal Society’s Partnership Grants scheme is now open. Schools can apply for up to £3000 to work with scientists and engineers on creative investigations that inspire students with the excitement and wonder of cutting-edge science or engineering research.
Funds are available for projects working with students aged 5-18, as long as the project involves a UK school or college, and a practising scientist or engineer. The next round for applications closes on the 24th of February 2012.
For more details about eligibility criteria and to find out how to apply via their online application system, go to http://royalsociety.org/partnership.
