Demand for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) professionals and associated professionals is expected to grow by around eight percent between now and 2025. This means that Europe needs more young people to pursue STEM subjects and careers to become part of a much needed qualified workforce in the coming years. In the Opening Minds to STEM Careers MOOC, we will explore different ideas and we will introduce a number of tools to help you be an active actor in STEM career guidance processes.
Essentially, this course is meant to train and empower you in successfully introducing and attracting young people to STEM careers from an early age, as well as to learn about private and public initiatives on STEM education.
The following topics will be explored during the course:
- STEM careers in schools and in the job market
- STEM careers pathways
- Career induction activities, materials and guidelines
- Gender stereotypes in STEM education
- How to balance the roles of teachers, mentors and parents
- Benefits of external school-to-work programs
- Career orientation events on STEM education
During the course, we will be reflecting, discussing and sharing on the topics above. Furthermore, you will also have the opportunity to find a community of like-minded professionals who can support each other in improving their classroom practices. We will be using a variety of online tools and social media outlets to communicate with each other and to engage in a number of peer review activities, as part of the course.
This MOOC is a result of the collaboration of three different projects:
- The SYSTEMIC project is a joint initiative of both Ministries of Education and industry, with the overall objective of increasing young European’s interest in STEM careers and providing teachers with the appropriate pedagogical tools to enable them to teach STEM topics in a more attractive way.
- Scientix, the community for science education in Europe, promotes and supports a Europe-wide collaboration among STEM teachers, education researchers, policymakers and other STEM education professionals.
- The STEM Alliance – inGenious Education and industry, brings together Industries, Ministries of Education and education stakeholders to promote STEM education and careers to young European's and address anticipated future skills gaps within the European Union.
