Launched in 2020, Making Spaces has set out to help achieve that. Funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation, the global research and development programme aims to support inclusive learning through makerspaces, workshop-style environments that provide hands-on ‘making opportunities’ for young people. The project aims to help these spaces engage with young people from diverse and under-represented communities, supporting youth to use STEM as a vehicle for social change.
We spoke to Professor Louise Archer, principal investigator of Making Spaces, and Tim Slingsby, director of skills and education at Lloyd’s Register Foundation, to hear how they plan to diversify participation in engineering-related subjects.
Why was Making Spaces created?
Prof Archer: “The Making Spaces project was created to help make STEM participation more inclusive and challenge the idea that only wealthy white men do STEM. The programme aids makerspace staff to be more inclusive and equitable in their practice, so they can help reach and inspire the next generation of budding scientists and engineers, as well as support them to use STEM to challenge key social and environmental challenges.”
How will the Making Spaces programme help create the next generation of scientists and engineers?
Slingsby: “In 2020, the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Diversity and Inclusion in STEM found that 65% of people working in the industry were white men. For many, they feel they cannot enter a STEM career due to the lack of diverse representation to look up to.
“Making Spaces aims to open the door to young people from diverse backgrounds, providing them with access to a variety of specialisms and expertise to help them develop a career in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. By doing this, the next generation of problem solvers will be a more diverse group of individuals that possess a variety of abilities gained through different life experiences. These people will eventually tackle and solve the growing issues impacting our world and ensure that the infrastructure we rely on as a society remains in place.”
How are the makerspace locations improving diversity and inclusivity?
Prof Archer: “Making Spaces works in partnership with practitioners from seven makerspace locations across the globe, in the UK, US, Slovenia, Palestine and Nepal. All sites have their own specialism and expertise that offers valuable opportunities to young people. Students might develop skills in engineering, construction, digital technology, robotics, electronics, coding, high tech equipment and traditional tools. As well as this, the makerspaces help develop personal, social, and creative abilities that young people can take away to shape their future career.”
Slingsby: “Making Spaces fosters hands-on learning as well as adapting to students’ needs, allowing them to experience their location’s specialised teaching area at their own pace. This method of teaching changes the way that STEM is presented to young people, removing the rigid structure that many are used to. This change makes STEM more appealing, allowing for more diverse individuals to engage with the sector and discover its possibilities as a career choice.”
Why are young people being put off a career in STEM at a young age?
Slingsby: “At 16 in the UK, students must make life changing decisions on what subjects they want to specialise in, forcing them down a certain career path that can be difficult to deviate from once chosen. During this time, some students may feel disconnected with STEM, resulting in them choosing other subjects to pursue at a higher level. The rigid set curriculum and ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach… just does not work for everyone – and we’re risking losing talented individuals unless we invoke change within the system.”
What can be improved in the current STEM education system?
Prof Archer: “A radical change in the education system is needed to place issues of equity and inclusion at the heart of STEM learning. We need to rethink traditional schooling practices that create a disconnect for many young people between their own identities and experiences and the world of STEM. The industry needs to do more to tackle inequalities, and to make STEM a more welcoming and inclusive place where all young people can feel they belong and make a difference. This means changing elitist cultures and evolving how we teach and practice STEM, instead of trying to change young people to fit into a narrow idea of STEM.”
Slingsby: “Flexibility is essential to educate students on aspects of STEM that not only geographically impact their local area but interest them as a career option. By giving young people more time to choose their specialism, they can explore more options and find the right one for them. If we fail to provide this flexibility, students are going to pursue careers and subjects that feel more welcoming, resulting in STEM losing valuable talent.”
What else can we do to foster diversity in STEM and bridge the skills gap we're facing?
Prof Archer: “There is widespread international concern about the growing STEM skills gap and the implications of this for society. By helping makerspaces to become more inclusive, we hope to open up these opportunity-rich spaces to a greater diversity of young people, empowering them to engage with STEM in ways that can benefit society and communities.”
What is Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s education and skills mission?
Slingsby: “Lloyd’s Register Foundation’s education and skills mission is to ensure the continued advancement in STEM disciplines such as engineering and technology. By championing this, we can make a real difference improving the safety of infrastructure that we, as a society, are heavily reliant on for day-to-day life.”
Prof Archer: “Through helping young people from under-served communities innovate and engage with STEM, we can help create fairer and more sustainable societies.”
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