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Lord Sainsbury of TurvilleScience and Engineering Ambassadors Launch |
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On behalf of Cathy and myself I am pleased to welcome you all to the launch of a new and exciting initiative, Science and Engineering Ambassadors (SEAs), part of Science Year, which Cathy will talk more about in a moment. SEAs was first announced in the Science and Innovation White Paper (SIWP) in July 2000. The aim is to encourage younger people engaged in careers in Science to go back into schools to encourage others to follow them. SEAs is a joint DTI/DfES initiative and will be a long lasting legacy of Science Year. It will set out a framework, covering such issues as training, competences and accreditation, under which we anticipate that all those engaged in this sort of activity will want to operate. The Project Team is in the final stages of producing a detailed operating manual, including the training requirements, for use by the SETPoints. There has also been an extensive consultation process with employers, some of whom you will hear from today, with practitioners and with schools. If we are really to benefit from the major scientific advances taking place today, it is essential that all children have an understanding of the excitement and importance of science, the benefits and risks, and the values involved. It is also important that, more of them, especially girls and those from other under-represented groups, aspire to careers in science and technology. In the past we have had too many small-scale schemes, often excellent in themselves, which aim to inspire young people to think about careers using science and technology skills, and many organisations have worked hard to take them to the young. At the last count there were 1200 competitions, schemes and events. But too few schools and young people have been reached, now and Cathy and I want now to make certain that all schools have the opportunity to take part in such activities. That is why the DTI is putting £2m a year for the next 3 years into supporting the 53 SETPOINTS across the country, as they will provide us with an organisation capable of delivering a service to all schools across the country. The Science and Engineering Scheme will be one of the key services they provide. Experience shows that the best people to get across the excitement of a career in science and technology are young people who are working in science and technology and who can explain the relevance of the subjects studied at school to the world of work. Many individuals and organisations know this and are already active in working with schools. We plan to strengthen and extend these activities under the Science and Engineering Ambassadors banner, so that, over time, every school in the UK can have access to enthusiastic Ambassadors. Fuller details of the roles of Ambassadors are in the brochures but, in brief, they will:
Young people will be able to find out at first hand what a career in science and technology could offer them personally. We believe that all parties - schools, teachers, students, employers and the Ambassadors will benefit from this opportunity. You will hear shortly from representatives of employers, from an Ambassador and from a teacher who has used an Ambassador why they do it and what benefits they get. SEAs will be delivered through the network of 53 SETPoints right across the UK. You will hear something of their role from Dr Peacock later. We have developed national standards as a guarantee of quality to schools, employers and Ambassadors and we will, of course, ensure that the individuals involved meet the highest standards, understand the nature of their role, are properly trained and carry the proper insurance. Some of the best companies and universities in the country, such as BAE Systems, BP, Ford, Imperial College, IBM and Sheffield Hallam and Glasgow Universities are already engaged in this work, and I am delighted that they will be backing the Science and Engineering Ambassadors Scheme. Key Message The key message we are trying to convey to our young people is simple: a basic knowledge of science is essential to understanding the issues our society faces in the future, and studying science, technology and maths can lead to exciting, challenging and rewarding careers. And there can be no one better way to convey this message than other young people who already have careers using science and technology skills, and can speak from first hand experience of the excitement, importance and satisfaction of what they do. It is clear, both from the reactions we have had since we began consulting on the idea and from the number of organisations already active that an integrated approach, under a single umbrella, will have more impact than at present. This does not mean we want to stop organisations from continuing to promote their corporate identities. But equally we want to see some common branding so that we can promote the Scheme to schools and teachers, and assure them that they will be provided with a consistent and high quality service. We know that many organisations already operate Ambassador-type activities, such as the Neighbourhood Engineers Programme, Researchers in Residence and 'Engineering Our Future' we want to bring them into the Science and Engineering Scheme, but we need many more organisations and many more Ambassadors. If we are going to help every school and make a real, long-term difference to attitudes towards careers in the sciences and engineering we have to be able to put large numbers of Ambassadors in touch with schools. I also want to emphasise that this is something for all sizes of organisations, we want large companies who will look after a large group of schools and we want small and medium sized companies who will look after one or two schools. We think all will benefit. As the SEAs brochure explains and as you will hear today, those who undertake this activity become more useful to their employers as a result of the improvements in their communication and leadership skills and self-confidence. We hope that those of you whose organisations are in contact with others, as customers, suppliers or members, will spread our message and encourage them to engage with us. Only by exposing young people to those who can talk of the excitement of careers using science, maths and engineering skills will we succeed in generating the numbers of suitably skilled people that we need as a nation. I also want to make the point that we want to encourage science and technology at all levels. We are not just talking about Chartered and Incorporated Engineers and Scientists at the intellectual peak of their professions. There are major shortages at technician levels and we want to see Ambassadors who can influence the future technicians, at least as much as the others. And, as Patricia Hewitt said on the 16th of this month at the Women in IT Conference, it is essential that we get Ambassadors who truly represent role models with whom the young can identify. So we need women and we need people from ethnic minorities. If any of you can help us reach them the SEAs Project Team (who you can identify because their badges have red dots on them) would welcome your advice, or you can write to me or to SETNET. DTI is funding the central management and brokerage costs of the SETPoints matching Schools and Ambassadors, and we are looking to companies to fund their employees whilst they do this work. DfES is making a major contribution by providing the project management services of People, Science and Policy and this is truly a joint project between the two Departments. Our aim is to develop a cadre of people who can go into schools to support those teaching the sciences, maths and D&T, both within and beyond the National Curricul so that, by the end of 2004, every school in the UK has its Ambassadors and sees them as an integral part of the school community. We all of us in this room share I think a concern to enthuse many more young people about science and technology, and encourage many more of them to take up science and technology careers. I think that by working together we can achieve a step change in the impact of our joint efforts, and I hope very much that as many of you as possible will join us in this exciting and vitally important initiative. |
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Other speeches by Lord Sainsbury of Turville
(the following are available from the archive) |
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