As such, this #WorldSTEMDay, we caught up with married couple, Jon Callahan and Natalie Callahan, to talk more about how exposing young children to STEM is crucial in developing the next generation of engineers.
Coming from differing sides of the industry, with Jon being a Principal Stress Engineer at Morson Projects and his wife, Natalie, being a Deputy Head Teacher at Mill School Bury, we caught up with the pair to get their opinions on why engaging in STEM from a young age is so important, and what we can all be doing to expose children more to science, technology, engineering and maths as we prepare to grow the future generation of young STEM talent in the UK.
Hi both! Why do you think it is so important to engage children in STEM from a young age?
Jon:
Participating in STEM activities at a young age is a fantastic way to engage children in critical thinking, to boost curiosity and introduces them to a world of opportunities; specifically nurturing the skills needed to succeed in the future.
Natalie:
I support children with Autism in our school and we use STEM activities to allow pupils to demonstrate to us the way that they see and understand the world around them. STEM is an essential skill for the children as it teaches them to think critically and question the world around them whilst also thinking, “how can I make this better?”. Without STEM there would be no innovation or out of the box thinking; which is what our children do best!
What can parents / carers be doing to encourage their children to get more involved in STEM?
Jon:
Getting children involved in STEM subjects from an early age is crucial in supporting the growth of the young talent required in the future – the next generation of doctors, engineers, teachers and scientists are being nurtured as we speak.
STEM activities are one of the easiest things to take out of the classroom. Cooking, for example, becomes a science activity and weighing ingredients becomes a maths lesson. Problem solving, trial and error along with critical thinking skills do not have to be dull – young children get excited about learning and enjoy it even more if it is disguised a fun and engaging activity.
Natalie:
Let them play, explore and investigate! STEM is about children exploring the world around them, asking questions and doing things differently.
Children do not need to know what they’re doing is STEM but they need to be given opportunities to investigate; it is so easy for us as adults to show them because it’s easier and quicker, but what if we allowed children and young people to explore and find alternative ways to do things?
By building that interest in STEM from a young age, it will open up so many more opportunities for the children as they continue through education and then, later, can have a real influence on the opportunities and career choices available to them.
There is a great website which offers hundreds of ideas about how to engage pupils in STEM activities outside of school: www.stem.org.uk
What can organisations be doing to showcase the fantastic STEM careers available?
Jon:
2022 has been a fantastic year for Morson Projects promoting STEM Careers. In the last 12 months, we have been actively showcasing our commitment to STEM through the creation of our Early Careers Development Programme, Careers Fairs at local secondary schools, inspirational talks at Summer Schools for Salford University and through engaging with work placements and summer interns.
Natalie:
I think companies like Morson are already showing a drive to do more to engage all pupils in careers which involve STEM knowledge and skills, I think the next step is to make it clearer through careers fairs and job adverts what specific skills companies are looking for – do you need Stress Engineer or do you actually need a problem solver who can think critically? Do you need a Software Engineer or do you need a mathematician who can decode the most complex of programmes? In schools we teach these skills but then our pupils never see those skills in a job advert, so it can make it hard for them to relate.
What does the future look like for STEM?
Jon:
The future looks STEMazing! I have recently undertaken STEM Ambassador Training with the IMechE in partnership with STEMazing, who are dedicated to inspiration and inclusion in all things STEM. It is my passion to help create a central STEM learning hub within Morson Projects and grow our STEM Ambassador network throughout the company.
Morson Group and Morson Projects are already leading in the STEM space, through initiatives such as ‘Go Beyond’ Mentoring Programme and the Morson STEM Foundation. I look forward to being part of it’s continued expansion into the wider community.
Natalie:
I think now more than ever we need to look at the world we live in and look at how we can ensure its longevity for the generations after us; to do this we need more innovation, more critical thinkers and more young people who are enabled to change the world.
Schools are doing more to support this but this means moving away from thigs like ‘Science Week’ or ‘STEM day’ because while these are great for raising awareness of the importance of STEM, children should be provided with opportunities to practise these skills daily, both in school and at home so that it becomes a way of life to question the world around them and to be innovative!
Jon:
For anybody looking to engage more, the IMechE are running a free webinar on ‘Effective Stem outreach for a Secondary School Audience’ on the 10th November 6pm for all members.
These webinars are great to learn useful hints and tips for how to enhance your delivery of effective STEM outreach. Click here for more information >
Find out more about some of our recent STEM initiatives below:
Go Beyond Mentoring Programme
Following the huge success of last years’ ‘Go Beyond’ Mentoring Programme, Morson Projects are delighted to be supporting the University of Salford again as they help prepare the future generation of female engineers for a career in the industry.
Early Careers Development Programme
As our industry booms and businesses continue to seek out the very best ‘next generation’ of engineers, Morson Projects continue to lead the way with growing the UK’s top engineering talent of the future through our Early Careers Development Programme.
The Morson STEM Foundation
Funding for the Morson Group STEM Foundation at The University of Salford is the latest in a number of initiatives from Morson and the Mason family aimed at financially supporting young people from underprivileged backgrounds.