Boeing and the Royal Academy of Engineering this week celebrated their partnership on a scheme providing hundreds of thousands of school students with key engagement and skills in science, technology, engineering and maths. Since its launch in September 2011, more than 750,000 students have now benefitted from the Academy’s Connecting STEM Teachers (CST) programme, which provides training and professional development to teachers in order to increase pupil’s understanding of STEM and engineering.
Boeing has now donated £500,000 to the CST programme since joining in 2016 and the latest round of funding for the 2022-2023 academic year will help provide up to 145,000 more students across the UK with an enriched learning experience. The programme works across the UK, including in areas where Boeing has a significant footprint including Bristol, Sheffield and northern Scotland.
The continued partnership was announced during Farnborough Air Show as the two organisations gathered to consider the future of the UK aviation and aerospace sector and underline the importance of engaging young people in aerospace’s sustainable future.
Sir Martin Donnelly, president of Boeing Europe and managing director of Boeing UK and Ireland, said: “Equipping future skilled engineers is the golden thread that will guarantee the sustainable future of aviation. Boeing is thrilled that our donations are enthusing a future generation of STEM experts and engaging teachers and students across the country of the opportunities these subjects can bring.”
Professor Dame Helen Atkinson DBE FREng, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing at Cranfield University, who spoke on behalf of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “Engineering and STEM skills play a critical role in ensuring the future success of the UK’s aviation and aerospace sectors. Embedding engineering skills within the school curriculum is crucial to inspiring future generations about the exciting careers that engineering can lead to. We are delighted to have partnered with Boeing over the past seven years to address the engineering skills challenge through our Connecting STEM Teachers programme.”
The CST programme is delivered through a network of 48 specialist STEM teaching consultants with extensive frontline STEM teaching experience who work alongside school teachers to help develop and expand their skills in the classroom.
Since Boeing began supporting the programme in 2016, CST-trained Teacher Co-ordinators have subsequently trained 6,240 teachers, supported STEM learning in 4,069 schools, distributed 38,910 resource and home learning packs and provided 581,000 students with STEM experiences within their schools.
Encouraging feedback from the CST programme says 99% of female students and 100% of male students who have taken part believe that engineering is a suitable career for both girls and boys.
As well as supporting a number of initiatives with partners including the Royal Academy of Engineering, Boeing STEM ambassadors and volunteers regularly hold events at schools, colleges and universities across the UK, with the aim of helping close the STEM skills gap in the UK.
Notes for Editors
About Boeing in the United Kingdom: Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defence, space and security systems, and global services. The company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries and leverages the talents of a global supplier base. Boeing has a UK workforce of 3,000 direct employees across the country and spends £2 billion a year in the UK supply chain. Over the past five years, Boeing has donated £2,500,000 to UK charities. For more information, visit www.boeing.co.uk or Twitter @BoeingUK.
The Royal Academy of Engineering is harnessing the power of engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy that works for everyone. In collaboration with our Fellows and partners, we’re growing talent and developing skills for the future, driving innovation and building global partnerships, and influencing policy and engaging the public. Together we’re working to tackle the greatest challenges of our age.
Connecting STEM Teachers (CST) is a national programme, run by the Academy, which supports teachers and STEM subjects leads of science, design/technology, engineering, maths and computing. We do this by helping teachers engage a greater number and wider spectrum of school pupils with STEM education and engineering careers awareness. CST is generously supported by Strategic Partner Shell UK, Amazon, The Arthur Clements Fund, Boeing, the Royal Air Force, The Estate of the late Mr John Gozzard and the Helsington Foundation.
For more information please contact: Jane Sutton at the Royal Academy of Engineering Tel. +44 207 766 0636; email: [email protected]