Member Article

Tyne Metropolitan College First in Region

Tyne Metropolitan College First in Region to Receive STEM Assured® Status

Tyne Metropolitan College, currently the top performing College for young people (source 1), is proud to announce that it is the first college in the region to be awarded STEM Assured® status by the New Engineering Foundation (NEF).

The STEM Assured® standard recognises excellence in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) provision within the Further Education sector, with a particular focus on industry relevance and embedding STEM skills across a range of learning areas. This award reflects TyneMet’s determination to be at the forefront of STEM provision and meet the needs of local and national employers.

The New Engineering Foundation (NEF), which created and manages STEM Assured®, focuses on improving vocational education through research, professional development, partnerships and organisational transformation.

STEM Assured® is the standard for assuring quality of delivery of STEM education and training. It is an outcomes-based standard, driven by the need to assure a more coherent strategy for the development and delivery of STEM education and training that addresses industry requirements for skills.

The validation process involves a critical review of a provider’s approach to ensure their vocational STEM offer meets the needs of employers in relevant sectors. TyneMet has been working closely with employers to identify and meet organisational and operational needs and independent research confirms that employers working with TyneMet are the most satisfied in England (source 2).

Jon Vincent, Principal and Chief Executive, TyneMet College, said:

“We are delighted to receive STEM Assured® status. TyneMet is already a regional leader for Engineering and Technology, with a wide range of vocational courses designed to up-skill and advance both employees and employers across the North East and following a STEM agenda is integral to the College’s growth and development plans.

At TyneMet we offer teaching of the highest standard in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. We place an emphasis on pathways to STEM industries in the knowledge that that students studying on STEM related subjects will be in a very strong position when applying to university or for jobs.“

To celebrate receiving this status, TyneMet College has organised two events that will take place on the 17th July. The first event ‘STEMtastic’ will see 400 STEM focused local school children attend the College for a day of STEM related activities. These activities will be delivered by some of TyneMet’s STEM related subject teachers and others will be presented by STEM related supporting partners such as, Newcastle University, University of Sunderland, The Centre for Life, Dove Marine Laboratory, Procter and Gamble, teachers from local schools and many more! The day promises to be packed with fun, highlighting the exciting world of STEM.

In the evening of the 17th July, TyneMet will be inviting industry experts, students and staff to their ‘Full STEM Ahead’ event. Jon Vincent will be presented with the STEM Assured® accreditation and a panel format question and answer style session with industry experts will take place to facilitate discussion about all aspects of STEM and how employers and education providers can collaborate to ‘power the workforce of the future.’

For more information on these events, visit www.tynemet.ac.uk/events

Source 1- Top performing college in 2010/2011 for young people (Success Rates for 16-18’s at level 3/ advanced qualifications), performing above all the FE Colleges in Tyneside and Northumberland.

Source 2– FE Choices 2011 rating 9.1 where employers stated that they were satisfied with TyneMet College. National Average is 8.4 (out of 10).

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Lisa Dawson .