About This is Engineering: Schools - Welsh Valleys
This is Engineering: Schools - Welsh Valleys, is the continuation and expansion of the former Welsh Valleys Engineering Project (WVEP). It is an engineering education programme established by the Royal Academy of Engineering with generous funding from the Welsh Government and the Panasonic Trust. It delivers STEM education support for students and teachers, and provides opportunities and career guidance beyond the classroom. The project plays an integral role in transforming local communities. It raises young peoples’ aspirations and improves social mobility in the Welsh Valleys, a region of socio-economic deprivation.
The Welsh Valleys have a long history of engineering and the Academy has built on the region's heritage. It supports the untapped engineering potential within students in this area and builds a skills base that will support many of the new engineering companies investing in South Wales.
What We Offer
Since the programme launched in 2018, we have been working collaboratively with primary and secondary schools and further education (FE) colleges in Merthyr Tydfil and Blaenau Gwent, and are delighted to extend our reach into Caerphilly in 2025. The programme aims to inspire and encourage students to take up science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects in post-16 education. This enables them to access engineering career pathways.
Our programme enriches the curriculum, enhances pupil engagement, and increases attainment outcomes by bringing real-world engineering practice into schools. A further aim of the project is to encourage women and under-represented groups to progress towards professional engineering roles within local industry.
The project provides support for schools and FE colleges, including:
- A local programme manager, who facilitates termly network meetings and fosters partnerships between schools, local employers and industry
- Teacher training and free STEM resources kits (engineering-themed STEM boxes) to enhance and add context to the curriculum
- Industry collaboration opportunities to inform and contextualise engineering activities - see employer engagement strand below
- Future Engineer Awards, worth £2000 together with the loan of a laptop, to incentivise post-16 STEM study
- In Caerphilly only, an annual grant of £2700 to purchase resources and provide experiences for students that will enhance the 'E' in STEM, equipping STEM clubs and celebration national events such as Tomorrow's Engineers Week and British Science Week
School and employer engagement
The employer engagement strand was launched in 2021, partnering schools with STEM businesses to collaboratively develop an extended STEM challenge. We are delighted that Welsh Government have generously supported the employer engagement strand to extend to 74 schools in Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr Tydfil and Caerphilly.
We pair schools with local engineering employers to develop a challenge linked to their industry. Schools receive up to £250 per term to support them in the delivery of their employer engagement challenge.
Challenges are delivered in school with support from the STEM employers and focus on building careers awareness and employability skills. These real-world challenges contextualise learning and provide young people with opportunities to gain a greater understanding of and insight into STEM careers.
Businesses supporting the programme
We are grateful for the support of the following businesses in this next phase of the programme: Vishay, Safran Seats, General Dynamics, Morgan Sindall, Norgine, Ogi.
We wish to thank the following employers for their previous involvement in the programme: Panasonic, Continental Teves, Concrete Canvas, Thales/National Digital Exploitation Centre, Zimmer Biomet, Tata Steel, Peter Jones (ILG) with JC Moulding, Wild Connect, Lightsource BP, ORE Catapult, and Future Valleys Construction.
Programme impact
What impact has the programme had so far?
Since launching in 2018, more than 15,000 young learners have participated in at least one engineering experience. 78% of the total primary student population and 52% of the total secondary student population have taken part in one or more STEM activities during the past six years.
There have been approximately 3,000 engineering experiences at college level using resources obtained with programme funding, and 124 Future Engineers scholarships awarded. 17 businesses have so far been recruited for the employer engagement strand and 5,200 primary and secondary school students have participated in STEM challenge projects.
This has resulted in improved links between secondary and feeder primary schools, increased interest in STEM and computing subjects and raising numbers of students opting for engineering-related subjects at FE Colleges. Students’ perception and understanding of engineering and broader interpretation of engineering career routes has also grown.
This is Engineering Schools: Welsh Valleys has improved aspirations and motivated young people to follow careers in engineering and develop student ambassadorial roles through Future Engineer awards and employer engagement projects.