Abertay University hosted the launch of the Engineering Development Trust’s Tayside Go4SET programme.
The initiative encourages school pupils to pursue further education, apprenticeships or careers in science, engineering and technology, getting them out of the classroom and giving them first-hand experience of the workplace.
For a minimum of 10 working weeks, local children aged 12 to 14 will work in teams of six on STEM-themed projects based around real-world problems, ranging from environmental issues to finance and technology.
Teams from Morgan Academy, Perth High, Montrose Academy, Monifieth High, Websters High, Baldragon Academy and Mearns Academy are taking part, supported by mentors from GSK, Tayside Contracts, BEAR Scotland, NCR and Michelin.
The project runs at universities and colleges across Scotland and culminates in a celebration and assessment day later in the year when the teams will return to Abertay to have their work judged.
The top Tayside team will go forward to the national final to compete against winners from, Edinburgh, Fife, North Lanarkshire, Moray, Aberdeen, South Lanarkshire, Glasgow, Ayrshire, Argyll and West of Scotland.
Professor Carl Schaschke, Head of the Division of Science, Engineering and Technology at Abertay said: “We are delighted to be supporting Go4SET – a fantastic project giving pupils a real taste of career opportunities in STEM.
“With our new £3.5m science labs having recently opened and both our Food and Drink and Civil Engineering courses rated top in Scotland, there’s never been a better time to study STEM subjects at Abertay.”
Engineering Development Trust coordinator Liz Crossley-Davies added: “A lot of these pupils might not have been exposed to STEM subjects, so it is about giving them a positive experience and letting them find out more about education and careers in STEM.
“As the weeks go by we always see a huge change in the communication skills and confidence of the pupils, with much of that coming from the valuable input of their industry mentors.”
For more information on Go4SET visit https://www.etrust.org.uk/go4set
To find out how to study STEM subjects at Abertay visit https://www.abertay.ac.uk/schools/science-engineering-and-technology
