Engineering a brighter future

A scheme at Sheffield Hallam University is aiming to avert a national skills shortage by getting pupils and students more involved in their science, technology and mathematics lessons.

The ‘Engineering a Better World’ (EBW) project is helping pupils from schools across Yorkshire and Humberside into careers in science and engineering by encouraging them to study science and mathematics.

The University’s Centre for Science Education is managing the three-year pilot project in the Yorkshire and Humberside region, with four regional SETPOINTs acting as co-ordinating hubs at the local level. The project is funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Yorkshire Forward.

According to Dr Stuart Bevins of SETPOINT South Yorkshire in the Centre for Science Education: “The UK has a long tradition of producing high quality scientists, engineers and mathematicians who have contributed greatly to the economic stability of the nation. However, over recent years the recruitment of people with the necessary skills and abilities in these areas has reduced significantly.”