Institution news
The Teacher Industrial Partners’ Scheme (TIPS) has been developed by the Institution, and is being delivered in partnership with the IET and the National Science Learning Centre (NSLC). It is enabled through Project ENTHUSE, which provides bursaries for teachers to experience placements with industrial companies.
TIPS is seeking companies who are willing to offer two-week placements for teachers of science, maths, computing and design technology. There is support from the project team and flexibility in programming. The first point of contact that companies who are keen to run such a scheme should make, is with the NSLC.
Peter Finegold, Head of Education and Skills at the Institution, outlined the scheme’s objectives: “TIPS aims to increase awareness among teachers, schools and young people of the nature of modern engineering and career opportunities in the engineering and manufacturing sectors. It does this by providing teachers of STEM subjects with opportunities for placements with a STEM employer, supported by educational input from the NSLC.”
The first pilot placement – a two-week engagement for three science teachers, hosted at Crossrail – took place in the summer.
Peter strongly encourages engineering and manufacturing companies to consider TIPS as part of their school engagement portfolio, and as a means to address the engineering skills gap, with participants gaining valuable insight from first-hand engagement with industry.
Peter commented: “We have been very encouraged by the feedback and findings of the scheme at this stage.”
There is growing concern among industry and educators that careers advice in schools is inadequate. In a recent Institution poll, 42% of respondents felt current careers guidance in UK secondary schools is poor, and only 10% believe it to be worthwhile. In addition, according to the Wellcome Trust Monitor, only 17% of students who ask teachers about careers are satisfied with the answer.
TIPS gives teachers first-hand experience of engineering and manufacturing. Their knowledge, enthusiasm and learning discoveries are then disseminated among fellow teachers and, most importantly, brought into the classroom and into the activities, understanding and ambitions of their students. It is hoped that it will improve the quality of careers advice given at school by allowing teachers to acquire professional insights into how modern industry works.
Following the June 2014 placements at Crossrail, the teachers involved reported:
- an increased understanding of the range of engineering activities and STEM career routes
- taking immediate steps to embed engineering across their teaching as well as planning STEM days
- increased confidence and ability to discuss engineering with students, parents and colleagues
- actively planning dissemination to other colleagues, through staff meetings, presentations and sharing schemes of work
Rezaul Haque, a science teacher from St Paul’s Way Trust School in East London, said his experience on the Crossrail placement, transformed his idea of engineers from ‘builders who make things’, to ‘problem solvers’.
Crossrail has said it will maintain its links with the schools and will be happy to send mentors out to support the STEM days. The teachers are also planning to stay in touch to share ideas and resources.
That the participants all felt they could act as ambassadors for engineering was a tremendous achievement, satisfying one of the key objectives of the sponsors and of Crossrail. The three participants reported a better understanding of areas such as the culture of health and safety, and the apprenticeship route into engineering, and felt that they could confidently promote such a path within school and to families.
Peter Finegold emphasised that this initiative, following a positive outset, can become a significant and scaleable programme across employers of all sizes.
He added: “To achieve this, employers, engineering institutions, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the government and others should put their weight behind TIPS, encouraging both schools and industry to get involved. They should guide anyone wishing to develop a teacher placement offer towards TIPS.”
To find out more about TIPS, and to offer teacher placements at your workplace, contact: Gemma Taylor, Technology and Computing CPD Lead at the National Science Learning Centre on Tel: 07740 409540 or at: g.taylor@slcs.ac.uk.