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VIEWS & OPINION The importance of engaging


young people in STEM early Comment by DAN POWELL, Head of Neon at EngineeringUK


Engaging young people in STEM subjects is an important factor in them pursuing a career in the field. It is even more important to introduce pupils to STEM in primary school because it can leave a lasting impression on young people. If we want to secure a strong STEM


workforce for the future then we need to show children to STEM in the primary classroom, and engage them in activities earlier in their educational pathway. Society has an influence on young people from an early age and


research from ASPIRES shows that STEM, and engineering in particular, should be introduced very early in a young person’s school career to ensure they understand what engineering is, how to get into it, and be motivated and able to access the educational and training opportunities on the way. Children start to develop stable career aspirations in their primary years so it is vital to ensure that all primary schools provide an impactful STEM education to help young people move to secondary school with a knowledge of the STEM careers that are available to them. Primary school gives young people the chance to learn in a practical,


hands-on way which secondary school does not focus on as much, and this may be because teachers typically cover the majority of the school


curriculum rather than specialising in one subject. There are some great opportunities to promote engineering and STEM in primary schools through taking a creative and practical approach which can give pupils the chance to explore and get excited about these subjects. It can have a lasting impact on the young people and will most likely lead to more pursuing a career in STEM. At EngineeringUK, we work in partnership with the engineering


community to inspire tomorrow’s engineers and increase the number and diversity of young people choosing academic and vocational pathways into engineering. When we launched Neon, a website aimed at teachers to help them find quality checked extra-curricular activities with an engineering careers focus, we intended it to be used by both primary and secondary school teachers to inspire the young people they work with. Although primary teachers have always been in mind when designing Neon, we discovered that the site’s users were predominantly secondary teachers. We know that engaging young people in STEM subjects plays a big


part in them choosing a career in engineering, so we carried out research to understand what would make Neon more primary teacher-friendly. The research showed that it is important to raise awareness of the diversity of STEM careers available to young people, and in the process, increase the pupils’ general knowledge by placing STEM subjects into a real-life context. We made some changes to Neon to help primary teachers bring STEM to life in the classroom and hopefully build on young people’s early careers aspirations. We need to start early and ensure young people discover STEM in the


primary classroom – that way they can be inspired by the breadth and diverse opportunities a career in STEM can offer. https://neonfutures.org.uk/


Why schools remain at risk of cybercrime


Comment by MARK SCOTT, CEO at Cantium Business Solutions


To many of us, cybersecurity is a source of fear. With data breaches frequenting headlines, many schools have been left feeling vulnerable and unprepared to protect themselves against threats. Despite this, there is a perception gap when it comes to cyber security. If this isn’t recognised, by leadership, staff and students, then for all intents and purposes, it doesn’t exist. Here is why that needs to change.


Cyber security gap We haven’t seen any evidence that the uptick in cyber-attacks is going to fade away any time soon. We recently conducted a survey of over 500 decision-makers in education. It revealed that two-thirds (66 percent) of UK schools have suffered a cyber-attack in the last 18 months. Amidst anecdotal evidence that cybercrime in education has been on the rise for some time, that is concerning. The statistics match up with what we hear on the grapevine.


Naturally, schools are key targets due to the sensitive nature of the data that they hold on students, staff and parents. They are also quite complex as systems, making it difficult to pin down the source of an attack quickly and effectively without the correct measures in place.


July/August 2022


Is cybercrime less of a priority? The narrative that cyber security is the IT team’s problem must change. We know that many decision-makers feel strongly about the need to protect their institutions’ data, but work needs to be done to win the hearts and minds of wider faculty, extending down to the students they teach.


We know that a good proportion of schools can’t, or don’t, place


cybersecurity as a high priority. For me, that demonstrates that there are barriers to solid cyber protection that need to be overcome. For decision-makers in education, a big part of this is changing perceptions internally. This has to come before you start to advocate for changing long-held practices or purchasing new solutions to bolster your defences. It’s vital to have all members of staff on board, especially when your challenge is a one of perception. Not only that, but students too have to be educated in how to keep their information safe, especially while at school.


Future-proofing cyber infrastructure in education As I look to the future of cyber investment in education, there’s no doubt in my mind that educators should view it as a priority. If the barrier is a barrier of perception, then the work starts there. The longest-enduring changes you can make will be the ones that get everyone on board, not just the changes that make the best financial sense. As the threat landscape evolves and schools continue to adopt


digital technologies, it’s important to invest in cyber security measures, education and expertise that can help protect against malicious activity. Cyber security doesn’t just fall down to the IT department, it’s a mindset and level of awareness that helps to prevent cyber-attacks and safeguard staff and pupils.


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