Enhancing employability skills and careers knowledge - STEM Club Workshop GX003
STEM Clubs have incredible potential to combine a number of subjects within a single theme offering opportunities to conduct scientific investigations, experiments and engage in practical hands on activities. This workshop explores how club leaders can bring added benefit to club sessions by enhancing essential employability skills, raising awareness of careers and helping to support the school’s careers agenda. Helping to increase club leaders’ knowledge and equip them with valuable skills that can translate into the classroom.
Summary
The workshop will promote opportunities for club leaders to learn how to incorporate and enhance careers knowledge and build skills for students within club sessions. Club leaders will become confident in their understanding and use of STEM Ambassadors, Science Capital, Gatsby Careers Benchmarks, Essential Skills and the Skills Builder Framework. The workshop is aimed at secondary schools, Sixth Form and FE colleges across England with KS3, KS4 and KS5 provision. Designed as an online course it will take place as three sessions across 3-4 days: Session 1: 1 hour interactive session, Session 2: Self-learning tasks and Session 3: 1 hour interactive session. The workshop includes practical activities, opportunities to network and the sharing of best practice. The workshop explores the following topics:
- understanding the value that thriving and successful clubs bring to a school
- current club practice to promote careers, employability and essential skills
- why essential employability skills are important and the role clubs can play
- reviewing the Science Capital approach and how it can be used to raise student awareness of skills and careers knowledge
- identifying essential skills and the methodology of the Skills Builder Framework
- understanding the role and value of STEM Ambassadors and STEM Ambassador Hubs and how to engage with STEM Ambassadors
- reviewing the Gatsby Career Benchmarks and how STEM Clubs can assist in addressing the skills shortage
- embedding Careers and Essential Skills in club activities and projects to maximise value with short, medium and long term goals
- how clubs can reward and add value to students demonstrating excellence in skill sets
- what additional support is available, websites, organisations, STEM Clubs resources
Outcomes
By the end of this workshop, you will be able to:
- improve understanding of the STEM Ambassador programme and how it can support a STEM Club to increase student understanding of potential careers and the place STEM plays in the wider world
- increase understanding of employability skills and how a STEM Club can enhance key skills utilising the Skills Builder Framework, helping to support the schools careers agenda and adherence to the Gatsby Careers Benchmark
- develop skill sets of students by identifying career led roles within projects and identifying opportunities to expand student experiences of potential careers and STEM influences such as STEM fairs, guest speakers, liaising with local companies etc
- increase opportunities to engage parents in STEM Clubs, boost their knowledge of the importance of STEM subjects, their role in the workplace and the wider world