At a time when careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths and Medicine are crying out for women to join their professional ranks, we are delighted to become the first school in the South West to sign up to the new Youth STEMM Award.
Although launched in 2015, the Award has only been opened up this year to independent schools in the UK and, with our fantastic track record of high-level achievement in the STEM subjects, we are proud to be the first to step up to the plate in supporting the initiative.
Several girls in Years 10 and 11 are enrolled in the programme which encourages participants to log STEMM-related activities across four strands: ‘Inspiring the next generation’, ‘Engaging the public’, ‘Developing skills and knowledge’ and ‘Shaping your future’. In a similarly shaped structure to that of the much more established Duke of Edinburgh Award, in this first instance, the Maynard students will be working towards their bronze award and will be required to complete a minimum of 10 hours per section whilst covering all five STEMM areas. A silver and gold variation, working towards more advanced skills, will ensue.
“We have introduced it as we feel it will inspire and encourage the girls to consider careers that they may not have previously looked at. It is also something a bit different and, therefore, will give their CVs a boost and help them to stand out in the very competitive workplace,” said Science teacher and STEMM Awards coordinator, Miss York.
