Students enjoy conference workshop

Some 125 Transition Year students in Offaly took part in an innovative workshop held as part of the 2010 Atlantic Corridor conference in Tullamore last week. As part of the conference, a workshop was held with 125 Transition Year students and their teachers. This workshop explored student's attitudes towards science, technology, engineering and maths subjects and also careers in these areas. The workshop was facilitated by O'Kelly Sutton Management Consulting, a well-known management consultancy which has recently developed strategic plans for organisations such as the GAA and Bord na Mona. The workshop allowed the students to develop and explore their understanding of science and technology subjects and careers in a positive and pro-active environment. The workshop involved the students working in groups, discussing a series of questions and assumptions about STEM education and STEM-based careers. The students discovered the positives in their learning experiences and connected those positives to create vision and opportunity for changes in STEM subjects. It is important for the development of the Smart Economy that students are making informed study choices and STEM subjects and careers are a key aspect of the Smart Economy. It is also worth noting that HEA research in 2008 highlighted that the Midlands had one of the lowest rates of progression to science and technology courses at third level. The students participating in the workshop joined the main conference in the afternoon to hear the conference keynote address by Dr John Mighton, a mathematician who has created a quiet revolution across Canada with regards to the teachings of maths. The outputs of the student workshop were presented to the main conference in the afternoon as part of a panel discussion on how Ireland can address the skills deficit in science, technology, engineering and maths based careers. This panel discussion involved Dr Chris Horn, President of Engineers Ireland, Peter Brabazon, Director of Discover Science and Engineering, Dr Michael John Gorman, Director of the Science Gallery and Dermot Hughes, Product Design, Ericssons Ireland. A number of students representing the student workshop presented the findings of their morning workshop. The workshop was a unique opportunity for those involved in the promotion and development of science and technology based careers to hear from students themselves their attitudes and experiences. The workshop provided findings that will be useful for agencies active in the field of science and technology promotion, as they seek to make their activities and programmes more and more relevant to students. It is also a unique and empowering opportunity for the students to interact with those from the business, education and development community and to make their opinions part of the conversation about how Ireland can enhance its STEM skills-base now and in the future. As a result of the workshop, students from the schools who participated will be participating in follow-on activities to be facilitated by Atlantic Corridor and the Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin.