More than five million young people will benefit from a greater knowledge of the opportunities created by STEM subjects and the exciting career prospects engineering delivers.
The Curiosity Project is a three-year engagement programme by Siemens, broadening their existing investment to bring science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to life in the UK.
For the next three years Siemens will support five major science and related festivals throughout the UK, each with a clear ambition to reach out to parents, teachers and students to make the world of science available in a fun and engaging way.
The project also supports The Prince’s Teaching Institute Residential for Mathematics and Science, enabling Heads of Departments from state secondary schools across the country to also benefit from up-to-date knowledge, resources and ideas.
The project will incorporate a sponsorship of ‘International Images for Science’ photography competition and touring exhibition run by the Royal Photographic Society, showcasing the detail and scale of science and engineering in application.
Siemens will also conduct a research programme throughout the term of the project, to quantify the impact upon a young person’s understanding of engineering that a business engaging with parents, students and teachers can have.
The investment is in response to engineering companies needing 1.86 million people with engineering skills from 2010-2020.
Siemens will also increase its free online engineering education resources launched in 2013 as part of this project www.siemens.co.uk/education. Aimed at the UK’s 21,000 primary and 5,000 secondary schools, the resources have already been rolled out to 5,000 schools across the country in its first year with the aim of reaching 4.5 million pupils by 2016.
Juergen Maier, Chief Executive, Siemens plc said: “I’m extremely proud that Siemens is engaging young students, teachers and parents all across the UK both in and out the classroom, unlocking the exciting potential of a career in engineering. I am confident that Siemens and our partners in this area can make a significant difference, and via our research, we intend to prove it.”