Now, more than ever, the world requires innovative thinkers, status quo challengers and world changers. People who will look at things differently, adapt and create ingenious solutions to the world’s toughest challenges.
Those people will need a strong foundation in Science Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). At Smiths we’re committed to supporting these vital future generations, and enabling a diverse and vibrant pipeline of future STEM talent in our local communities.
Take a look at some examples of supporting STEM education in the areas in which we operate.
Agastya education support in India
Smiths in India is partnering with Agastya, a charitable organisation who help to educate and raise awareness among disadvantaged children and teachers about the value of learning.
Smiths supports activities focused on science taking place in Mobile Science Labs travelling around schools to educate children, as well as helping with Science Fairs and Teacher Training.
Overall, the project we are supporting will take place over three years covering 11 to 15 schools and educating around 64,000 students!
Hands-on science sessions will be conducted in the Mobile Science Lab covering a wide range of topics including Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Each Mobile Science Lab travels to the doorstep of the school. They also reach community members through Night Community Visits too, allowing parents, families and community members to participate in learning sessions as well.
Our Smiths Group, Smiths Detection and John Crane colleagues in India will be given access to opportunities to volunteer and support with these activities.
Industrial cadets project
Many colleagues from across our divisions in the UK took part in a 10-week engineering project to mentor and support school children in the delivery of STEM projects as part of the Industrial Cadets programme.
A selection of 12-14 year old students were given an engineering brief they had to solve, supported by mentors. The programme requires a minimum of 20 hours and tests the children in several key competencies: creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, digital skills, careers motivation and awareness and personal and interpersonal development. They were provided a selection of potential areas they could explore, including the circular economy, designing buildings for climate change and how to create technology suitable for the future.
Three different schools were supported by three teams of colleagues from across Smiths:
- Urswick school, Hackney, London
- Space Studio, West London
- Parkside Academy, Willington, County Durham
Aylin Ozkan, one of the project lead teachers at Urswick School, shared: “The teams have been absolutely brilliant and worked really hard – the students loved it!”
Find out about early careers opportunities at Smiths
Our early career programmes help our colleagues gain hands on experience pushing boundaries and solving the world’s challenges. Want to find out about early career opportunities at Smiths? Take a look at our dedicated webpage and let us help you find your future with Smiths.
