Edition 1 Sept 2013 - Feb 2014

engaged with the local community, particularly in promoting STEM education.Battelle employees have begun two mentoring projects with local secondary schools.

The work makes an important contribution to the global need to sustainably feed the world in a safe manner. A key responsibility of all Battelle employees is to become

Chelmer Valley High SchoolMentoring project with Battelle 12 November 2013 –21 January 2014

In their Springfield facility Battelle UK Ltd investigates, on behalf of its customers, the fate and behaviour of chemicals in food and the environment. The studies help to ensure that pesticides, pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals pose no unacceptable risk to the environment and will not be present at harmful levels in food.

NEWSEssex Education and Industry

STEM Programme

contentsChelmer Valley High School : 1

Great Baddow High School 2The Billericay School 3Manningtree High School 3Harwich and Dovercourt High School 4Stewards Academy 4Prospects Apprenticeship Recruitment Evening 5STEM Celebration Event 5

During these projects students have the chance to work in modern laboratories and understand how chemicals interact with their environment.Ten students from Year 10 have recently begun a project with employees from Battelle investigating the chemical distribution of substances in the environment; once the project is complete they will begin reporting on their findings.

Diary Dates21 February: e2v Apprenticeship recruitment event

6 March Build a Rocket competition test at Stow Maries

7 March. Selex Apprenticeship Recruitment event*

22 March Build a Rocket Competition Essex Heat Stow Maries

2 April Engineering our Future, Anglia Ruskin University*

“Allowing our students to visit and work in laboratories is an important

way of making jobs in Science and Engineering seem more accessible

and less elitist. It can inspire students to follow careers in related fields,

develop interests in new areas or extend their understanding of concepts

learned in school. They experience what lab work is like first-hand and

improve a range of skills ranging from taking measurements to handling

data. By talking to employees,they can learn about the different routes

into employment.”

Mr Hyde, STEM Coordinator, Chelmer Valley High School.

*Please email Fiona or Martin

to book places at these events

apprenticeships@essex.gov.uk.

Chelmer Valley High SchoolMentoring project with Enovate Design 23 October 2013 –4 December 2013

A number of Year 10 students took part in a six week programme with Enovate Design, a web design and consultancy firm based in Chelmsford.

All sessions were led by Michael Walsh, a former student & Enovate Design founder, and involved discussing, demonstrating and teaching web design

skills from an industry perspective. He taught the students HTML and Cascading Styles Sheets (CSS) amongst other related topics.

The sessions provided an insight into industry and enhanced students’ personal interests and skills, inspiring a future in web design and coding.

The trip was organised and funded by the Essex

Education and Industry STEM programme and was

an excellent opportunity to experience the nature

of University teaching, functionality of maths in

the real world and “thinking outside the box”.

Students were exposed to a rigorous mathematical

approach to the patterns of juggling.

All areas in mathematical practice were covered:

simplification and specification of the problem, basic

consequences of the axioms, notation, examples

and theorems, as well as generalisations,

alternative approaches and computer simulations.

Additionally, students were introduced to mathematical

programming by the University’s School of Computing

under the direction of some eminent mathematicians.

They used a software package called MAPLE that made

even solving the trickiest equations easy. They all

wished it could be used for their A-Level exams!

They also received a talk on employability by the WOW

agency – exclusive to the London Metropolitan

University - about skills needed in the work place

Great Baddow High School The Mathematics of Juggling - Metropolitan University 17 September 2013

helping students to think about additional qualities

they need to develop to make them “in demand”

in the future, such as teamwork, business awareness,

customer satisfaction and independent thinking.

Some comments from the pupils:

“An interesting experience of life in a London

University and the application of maths in

enjoyable activities.”

“I enjoyed programming as I have never used MAPLE

before. Using a code to differentiate made it so much

easier than doing it by hand.”

“I liked using the MAPLE software and now I have an

urge to learn juggling.”

“The theory behind juggling was very interesting.”

“The first talk about degrees and employability was

helpful for the future.”Great Baddow High School will also be taking part in

the Pi-Bot challenge as detailed below.

Year 12 and 13 A-Level Maths students were invited to attend a taster session on the

“Mathematics of Juggling” at the London Metropolitan University.

Great Baddow High School The Mathematics of Juggling - Metropolitan University 17 September 2013

The Billericay SchoolBertrandt Pi-Bot project

The Billericay School is one of two Essex schools, the other being Great Baddow High School, who are working in conjunction with Essex County Council and Bertrandt on an exciting Pi-Bot project.

Bertrandt have offered a

huge amount of time and

resource to develop this

project and to roll it out

to students.

The Pi-Bot is now proving to

be the focus for students in

understanding Raspberry Pi

programming.

These students and their

Technology Teacher, Mark

Gooding, have been

fortunate to benefit from

the expertise of William

Hughes, a Bertrandt

contractor based at Ford.

The Pi-Bot is a self-contained

programmable buggy in

which you can control the

vehicle by using software

from a Raspberry Pi.

It teaches the students

about computers,

programming and

electronics.

Mark said

“We are very grateful to Will for giving up his time

to come and work with students in the after

School STEM club.”

Manningtree High SchoolSTEM day - 12 November 2013

“November 12th wasn’t a typical day at Manningtree High School; teachers were amused to see students busily racing balloons across their worktops or competing to build marshmallow towers as big as they could. This was Focus Day; a day when all of the students work together away from their usual timetable and benefit from a wealth of hands-on learning

provided by a wonderful array of VIP guests from the business and scientific world. The day was the most supported so far with over 60 guests providing some unusual learning opportunities.

This academic year the students have: travelled through space with a visit from the Science Alive Planetarium; designed and created their own wind turbines to explore the future of energy; created their own race cars using air for propulsion; competed to build the most stable structures out of the most delicate and unstable materials; and worked with architects, engineers and financial experts.

Many of these amazing opportunities were made possible because of the partnership Manningtree High School is developing with the Essex County Council funded The Essex Education and Industry STEM programme STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Essex County Council has recently identified skills shortages in many areas relating to science,

technology, engineering and maths and this initiative helps schools to develop opportunities for students to work with experts in these fields for the future.

Manningtree High School encourages students to build on their learning, aim high and rocket to success not just whilst at school but to infinity and beyond!”

Mrs Morgan - Focus Day Coordinator

Special thanks to all the businesses that contributed their time to make this day such a success.

• Educate to Innovate

• Science Alive

• e2v

• The Smallpeice Trust

Year 12 and 13 A-Level Maths students were invited to attend a taster session on the

“Mathematics of Juggling” at the London Metropolitan University.

Year 11 student secures ApprenticeshipHarwich and Dovercourt High School

Thanks to the generosity of

Applied Scintillation

Technologies (Appscintech)

students at Stewards

Academy, Harlow, will

benefit from an additional

piece of cutting edge

equipment.

A group of Year 10 students

at the school are taking part

in a unique female

focussed programme

funded by Appscintech

and jointly managed by

Harlow College and Essex

County Council.

Stewards Academy

Applied Scintillation Technologies fund 3D Printer

Harwich and Dovercourt High School were part of phase 1 of the Essex Education and Industry STEM programme which successfully ran from 2011 – 2012. Curtis Franklin, a student supported by the programme and now in Year 11, has recently secured a Plumbing Apprenticeship starting in September. The Colchester Gazette recently interviewed Curtis to find out more about his experience.

You can read Curtis’ interview here.

The project aims to

encourage more girls to

take up careers in STEM and

the group have just taken

delivery of a 3D printer.

Paige Tennison, an

Engineering Apprentice at

Appscintech and a former

student of Stewards

Academy, demonstrated

how the 3D printer worked.

In the coming weeks, the

group will work alongside

a manager and two

apprentices from the

company to assemble the

printer. Whilst putting their

engineering skills to the test

they will also get the chance

to talk to Paige and other

apprentices about their

careers and experiences.

The funding from

Appscintech has enabled

the girls and their

families to attend STEM

“taster sessions” at Harlow

College and spend the day

at Anglia Ruskin University.

The group will also have the

opportunity to work with

employees from other local

businesses on a number of

projects in addition to work

experience placements.

When asked why

Appscintech are funding

the project, Ray Hawkins,

Operations Director said

“There is a skills shortage

of highly trained young

people ready to work in

industries such as ours.

By sponsoring such

programs as these we hope

to motivate young people to

pursue a career in

engineering by providing

an insight into working

life at companies like ours.

This program is

specifically aimed at

young women and

addressing the balance

in gender in engineering

workforces in the local

area.”Headteacher Rhonda

Murthar expressed her

appreciation of the gift of

the 3D printer to Stewards

Academy and also for the

support and expertise

being offered by local

business;

“The STEM project is

inspirational and

motivational – an

excellent opportunity for

our students to have an

insight to possible future

careers and to develop

their skills.”

65 students from 10 schools attended a recruitment

event for engineering companies at Prospects College,

in Basildon.

Apprenticeship Recruitment Evening 2013Prospects College, Basildon, 26 November 2013

Prospects deliver Advanced

and Higher level

Engineering Apprentice-

ships for companies, many

of which recruit and fund

students through an HND

in Engineering and beyond.

The aim of the event was to

promote these vacancies

to summer leavers. Lee

Bird, Training Manager said

“These engineering

employers attended the

event to provide an insight

into their industry and

hopefully to encourage

school leavers to apply as

all of the companies are

active recruiters of

apprentices. Local

engineering companies with

representatives at the event

included Gilbarco, Selex

Galileo and Gardner

Aerospace.” Students had

the opportunity to meet

some of the lecturers and

engage in a number of engi-

neering activities. Lee said:

“Hopefully, these students

will now be inspired, and

encouraged to pursue a

career in engineering,

via an Apprenticeship.

Engineering offers a future

that is both secure and

rewarding.”

STEM Celebration Event 14 January 2014

27 businesses attended

the event to receive their

awards and 45 students

from Ormiston Rivers

Academy, Chelmer Valley

High School, Great Baddow

High School and Stewards

Academy impressed guests

with their enthusiasm and

commitment to the project.

Award presenter and

Cabinet member for

education and lifelong

learning Cllr Ray Gooding

said “I was delighted to

help recognise so many

local businesses who have

given up their valuable

time to be part of the STEM

programme.

It is extremely important for

young people to learn about

their options and different

routes they can take in their

careers. Working with

businesses has given the

young people involved the

opportunity to interact

directly with the experts

in these fields.”

Since 2011 Essex County

Council has encouraged

schools and local

businesses to interact via

extracurricular clubs, work

experience and mentoring.

Paul Dewing, of prized

business GCS Alarms in

Clacton said: “The

programme has been a

fantastic opportunity for us

to teach young people about

the industry we are in.”

Other winners included

Selex ES, Battelle UK, BT,

Bertrandt UK, Chelmsford

Science and Engineering

Society, e2v Technologies

PLC, Trucklite, G.R.Carr

(Essex) Ltd., Smiths

(Harlow), Natwest Bank Plc,

BAE, Enovate Design Ltd.

Brown and Carroll (London)

Ltd., ARRK Euorpe Ltd,

Applied Scintillation

Technologies, Southfields

Engineering Ltd.,

Bloodhound, Finmeccanica,

Salix, Oakley Mobile, MIRA,

Garner Aerospace, Beard &

Fitch, Raytheon, Harwich

Haven and Yellowspring IT.

A video of the evening can

be found here.

Our STEM project Celebration event took place at County

Hall on 14th January. The aim of the event was for staff

at County Hall to thank our industry supporters for their

ongoing support and for students to showcase some of

the projects they have been undertaking with their

industry mentors.

This information is issued by Essex County Council, Employability & Skills Unit. You can contact us in the following ways:

By email: fiona.marriage@essex.gov.uk

Visit our website: essex.gov.uk/essexapprentice

By telephone: 01245 433077

By post: Essex County Council, Employability & Skills Unit PO Box 11, County Hall, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1QH

Read our online magazine at essex.gov.uk/youressex

Follow us on

Essex_CC

Find us on facebook.com/essexcountycouncil

The information contained in this document can be translated, and/or made available in alternative formats, on request.

Published February 2014 DS

14 4

513