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Science minister David Willetts on the importance of STEM subjects

This is how I grew up in Eastern Germany: In grade 1-4 we had a patch to attend in the school garden. In Grade 5 we exchanged the garden with DIY classes; working with wood, plastics, metal. Little projects to take home when finished. In grade 7 we started working in the local factory once per week for 4 hours; first in a sheltered environment with a teacher, later assigned to various locations and assigned to production teams. In grade 9 every boy in our school learned to work the lathe for 6 months. Every class had a partner team from a local factory or other company. They would show us their work place (show and tell) and they'd provide assistance in days out like going to the museum or the opera, when you need more than just a teacher to keep a herd of kids in check and free from harm. Most students left school at age 16 and at age 18 everyone had either their highschool diploma (if going further to university) or completed apprenticeship. Nowadays German engineering companies prefer university graduates with previous apprenticeships completed.

10 Apr 2012

2:13 pm