STEM Archives - Page 5 of 12 - Millennium Point

Today is International Youth Day, learn about what this awareness day is all about, and what we do to support young people.

What is International Youth Day all about?

Launching in 2000, International Youth Day is an annual awareness day held on the 12^th August. The purpose of the day is to celebrate the qualities of young people and recognise the challenges that young people face in today’s world. Each year the day runs a theme which previously has covered a number of areas including education, employment and the environment. This years theme will be on “Transforming Food Systems”, with the day highlighting how this global effort could not be achieved without the support of young people.

For more information on this years event please click here.

How does Millennium Point support young people?

The Millennium Point Charitable Trust is passionate about supporting young people and contributes more than 5 million back into the West Midlands region through STEM related projects and events. One major issue in today’s world is a skills gap across a number of industries, where young people in deprived areas miss out on the learning needed to boost their career prospects.

To support this issue, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust launched a Small Grants programme, which gives out grants of up to £20,000 to support science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education projects in the West Midlands. We’ve seen an incredible transformation in young people’s learning environments, with many schools using the grant funding to further enhance subject areas, resulting in more skill gabs being filled by students. Below shows an example of the type of work we do and how powerful our grant funding is on young peoples education.

Read more about those who have already benefitted from our charitable work here.

About educational grant funding from Millennium Point

Educators, Charities and Not-for-Profits within the West Midlands Combined Authority can apply for up to £20,000 from Millennium Point to fund their STEM activity. For more information on how to access this funding please visit www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/grants

Shaping their future with a free degree

We don’t stop there! Each year, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust jointly funds an undergraduate degree in partnership with Birmingham City University at their Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment, which covers over 20 different courses across computing, digital technology, engineering and the built environment. We’re helping people across the region unlock their future in STEM. Now approaching it’s ninth year, the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship has already changed the lives of eight people from the region through their degrees, including 2017 Sagal Qodah, who has since gone on to graduate with a First Class Honours degree in Civil Engineering.

Below shows the story of Asima Adnan, the winner of this years Scholarship program. Asima will begin her fully funded degree this September.

Apply for the 2022 Scholarship

For more information on how to apply or get involved in the 2022 Scholarship program please, visit www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/scholarship.

Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.

Every year, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust Small Grants programme gives out grants of up to £20,000 to support science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education projects in the West Midlands. We have funded many different projects across all areas of STEM, supporting learning development for young students.

Here is another great example of the type of work we do, this project was funded in 2019 and shows the power of what the grants funding can achieve for STEM organisations.

Who are Great Bridge Primary?

Great Bridge Primary is a large primary school with over 500 students. The school sits in an area of known deprivation within the region. Like many of its kind, the school suffers from limited funding which means a restricted programme to engage pupils in the opportunities of STEM learning.

What’s the project all about?

In 2019, Great Bridge Primary reached out to the Millennium Point Charitable Trust by applying for one of our grant schemes to fund a project called “LEGO WeDo“. The project was set out to enhance the students learning within computing and coding, which would expand their currently limited curriculum. The grant-funded 17 LEGO WeDo sets, for coding lessons at the school alongside resources to help train staff in how to use the equipment. The students also used Lego WeDo software on an iPad, where they combined the two to build physical LEGO models including tilt and movement sensors and motors, which was controlled by code.

What impact has the project made?

The project has contributed to a significant impact on the students learning development and advancing their skillset within computing and coding. Off the back of the project, Great Bridge Primary have been able to deliver an enhanced curriculum with the resources purchased via the grant becoming a staple of their education. Student engagement has also seen a positive reaction within computer science, with many students picking it as their favourite lesson and showing stronger enthusiasm for STEM subjects.

The project has also benefitted many staff members at Great Bridge, improving their confidence within computing and coding, allowing them to set more engaging and “outside-of-the-box” tasks for the pupils.

Great Bridge Primary were delighted with the impact the project made and said: “Enhancing the computing curriculum for upper Key Stage 2 at Great Bridge has had an immediate impact. The children who have taken part in the initial part of the project have had the opportunity to see how coding can be used to control a range of physical mechanisms and relate this to developing knowledge of coding in real-life scenarios. As a school, we will not look back on our Computing curriculum but instead, this project has made us look to the future and consider how we can inspire children to engage with STEM.”

About educational grant funding from Millennium Point

Here is an example of the type of work we do, this project was funded in 2019 and shows the power of what the grants funding can achieve for STEM organisations.

Who are The Play House?

The Play House is a small theatre and education charity based inside Birmingham, who specialise in engaging schools through educational and interactive performances.

What’s the project all about?

The Play House are passionate about addressing learning gabs and developing children’s education within STEM, so they don’t miss out on career prospects. The Daughters of Invention project is a drama and engineering education project originally created through a Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious award.

The project is aimed towards girls and children from marginalised backgrounds, using interactive tasks, acting and storytelling, to develop the children’s interest and understanding of problem solving, creative thinking and team work within engineering.

What did the Millennium Point Trust fund?

After a successful first run in 2019, The Play House were eager to bring the project to new schools in areas of deprivation across Birmingham. The Millennium Point Charitable Trust offered a fantastic opportunity for the project to expand with it’s Small Grants offering. After receiving the application, our Trust team were immediately taken to this project by it’s unique creative dimension to teaching engineering, and made no hesitation in getting involved. Our funding helped the following areas of the project:

Overheads for the production and delivery of the project (content creation, travel to schools etc.)
Resources to produce and deliver the performances in schools
Equipment to produce and deliver the performance in schools

What impact has the project made?

This project once again showcased the impact the Millennium Point Trust can have on young peoples lives. Over 240 children in 8 key stage 2 classes across 5 schools benefitted from the project, increasing their knowledge and understanding of engineering, while building confidence and awareness of careers within the subject.

The project also worked with the University of Birmingham, encouraging UOB students to get involved with STEM public engagement, while learning what impact it has on education in the local area.

The Play House were over the moon with the results and said: “Because of the grant from Millennium Point, The Play House is going to be inventing and creating with real-life engineers and KS2 children in Birmingham primary schools in 2020. Our STEM and drama project, Daughters of Invention, is coming back! Thanks to the Millennium Point Charitable Trust we are able to inspire a new cohort of children and their teachers.

“We will be working a with our partners from the School of Mechanical Engineering, the University of Birmingham and a cohort of young engineers to develop children’s interest (particularly girls and children from BAME backgrounds) in engineering/STEM and increase their understanding of the part problem-solving, creative thinking and team-work play in engineering.”

Help save The Play House

The Play House have an exciting program ahead for 2021-22, bringing creative activities into children’s education. The COVID-19 crises has however hit the organisation hard. The Play House need your support in order to continue helping thousands of children in economically challenging areas of the West Midlands. You can support them by clicking below to donate on their website.

About educational grant funding from Millennium Point

Each year Millennium Point pay for the tuition fees of one young person to pursue a STEM related degree at Birmingham City University (BCU). This is part of the ongoing work of the Millennium Point Charitable Trust to support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in greater Birmingham and the West Midlands.

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Here is an example of the type of work we do, this project was funded in 2019 and shows the power of what the grants funding can achieve for STEM organisations.

Who are Ahead Partnership?

Ahead Partnership is a leading social enterprise which works across the country to connect schools and children with employers to promote education and employability and raise awareness of STEM careers.

What’s the project all about?

Ahead Partnership wanted to address an issue in the West Midlands, where many students are only taught very basic STEM practices due to lack of resource. They launched a new project which features a week long STEM festival that aims to enthuse young people about STEM careers whilst they are still in education and build a stronger talent pipeline for the sector. The festival showcases the career opportunities that exist and encourages young people to make subject and study choices that open up these opportunities.

What did the Millennium Point Trust fund?

The Millennium Point Trust team were excited to get involved with this project and understood the importance of improving STEM learning for young people, while opening more doors for future careers within the industry. Our involvement helped fund the following areas of the project:

The operation and delivery of key events within the festival.
Resources and materials for the events.
Travel subsidies for schools travelling to the events.
Hire of additional equipment and resources for the events (i.e. AV equipment).

What impact has the project made?

The project had a positive outcome on over 250 students, 16 secondary schools and 2 education colleges. The students gained improvements in confidence, developed STEM learning across business and sectors, and workplace specific skills that will be valuable for their career choices.

Ahead Partnership were delighted with how the project unfolded and said: “Working with Millennium Point Charitable Trust will help us increase the pool of younger entrants to STEM occupations and to support the growth potential of businesses by promoting and furthering understanding of STEM.

“Currently, too few young people have a concrete understanding of the opportunities that exist within the West Midlands region. Employers have a very valuable role to play in developing this understanding and bringing careers alive through direct interventions with young people.

“This project will bring together education and employers, to contribute to regeneration in Birmingham, resulting in a future workforce that has STEM, entrepreneurial and creative skills to build on the City’s heritage and legacy and benefit the public through new products, services, businesses, jobs and economic growth.”

#GirlTechWM is back in 2021!

Following the success of two previous #GirlTechWM events, we’re delighted to say we are supporting once more. This year Ahead Partnership are taking the experience for Year 8 girls across the West Midlands ONLINE. This week-long festival will see young people from across the West Midlands take part in interactive workshops, guest speeches and panels to meet and ask female role models in the tech industry their questions, as well as give them a hands-on experience of what working in this sector is all about. Online means it’s safe and more accessible than ever.

About educational grant funding from Millennium Point

We are delighted to announce that Asima Adnan from Dudley has been named the winner of this year’s life-changing Millennium Point Charitable Trust Scholarship, earning a fully-funded degree at Birmingham City University (BCU). This degree is joint funded by Millennium Point Charitable Trust in Partnership with Birmingham City University.

Asima’s journey to Scholarship victory

The 37-year-old mum of five is currently studying Social Science and Humanities at Dudley College, with future plans to study a degree in planning.

All the finalists attended an assessment day at Millennium Point, where they each presented to a panel of five judges, Asima impressed the panel and was selected as the lucky winner of the Scholarship, which has already helped launch the careers of six outstanding STEM students.

Pictured left to right: Abbie Vlahakis, CEO of Millennium Point and Scholarship winner Asima Adnan.

The Scholarship winner said “Being told I had won felt amazing – I was shocked and got quite emotional; I couldn’t believe that someone would do something like this for me.

“I feel very lucky, knowing how hard everyone has worked to raise this money and then helped me with it, makes me want to work even harder and do well. I know I have the potential to do well, I just needed the opportunity and support.

“I am so excited and looking forward to the next chapter of my life. I hope I can be an inspiration to everyone who thinks that they can’t do it, because if I can do it, you can too.”

A few words from the CEO

Abbie Vlahakis, CEO of Millennium Point added: “We were really impressed by the quality of all the finalists; their passion, drive and knowledge of not only their own chosen subject but STEM in general.

“Asima embodies everything about the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship, which is here to support individuals with true grit and determination to succeed, and through their studies aim to have a positive influence on society in the West Midlands. Asima will be an excellent ambassador for Millennium Point Trust, proving that we can all achieve our dreams, no matter what life throws in our way. Asima will also be an excellent role model for women in STEM.”

“The scholarship is the flagship initiative from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust and exemplifies our commitment to supporting STEM; in 2020 alone, the Trust invested more than £560,000 in STEM-related organisations, projects and initiatives, based in the West Midlands.”

Identifying STEM talent

Now approaching it’s ninth year, the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship has already changed the lives of eight people from the region through their degrees, including 2017 Sagal Qodah, who has since gone on to graduate with a First Class Honours degree in Civil Engineering.

Apply for the 2022 Scholarship

Each year, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust jointly funds an undergraduate degree in partnership with Birmingham City University at their Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment, which covers over 20 different courses across computing, digital technology, engineering and the built environment. We’re helping people across the region unlock their future in STEM. For more information on how to apply or get involved in the 2022 Scholarship program please, visit www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/scholarship.

After six successful coding Bootcamps including full-time, part-time and fully remote courses, the School of Code is back again this summer with a free coding boot camp for people in the West Midlands.

Starting on 26th July 2021, the Bootcamp will be full-time, intensive, and 100% FREE to all residents in the West Midlands. There are no prerequisites and no previous experience required – those applying for the course don’t even need to have seen a line of code before. School of Code takes a learner from beginner to software developer in just 16 weeks before helping them find their first role in tech.

Future proofing local tech talent

With rising automation, a changing job landscape, and the economic crisis caused by COVID-19, technology will be the engine driving the recovery of our regional economy. Dr Chris Meah, Founder of the School of Code states ‘Technology will be the engine of recovery for the country, but we need to make sure everyone is on board to benefit. At the School of Code we are open to everyone to help more and different types of people take advantage of the opportunities technology gives, and to future proof their skills and career.

These free coding bootcamps offer a short, intensive, immersive and transformational learning sprint to a new career. Bootcamps change lives and power growth by giving participants the right skills to be immediately useful to employers on day one and, most crucially, helps people to also learn how to learn.

Working together to drive success in STEM

With 125,000 unfilled tech jobs in the UK every year, our friends at the School of Code aim to equip its recruits with the skills that industry needs, as well as helping them find exciting career opportunities afterwards. School of Code’s cohorts had an enviable 75%-95% employment rate even during the COVID-19 pandemic. The course prides itself on being open to anyone, with a 50:50 gender split, age-range of 18-60, and demographics matching those of Birmingham. Previous graduates have successfully secured roles at The Economist, Bravissimo, Santander, Wise, VoxPopMe, Dunelm, and many more great companies in the region.

Like the mission of the Millennium Point Charitable Trust, The School of Code hopes to challenge existing stereotypes of the tech sector and encourage diversity in the workplace by making it more accessible for everyone to enter and benefit from this thriving industry.

A Partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority

The School of Code is focused on providing a free route into tech, and is supported by the West Midlands Combined Authority through Mayor Andy Street’s “Beat the Bots” fund as well as through employers who hire through the course. They aim to continue to show more people that learning to code is fun, sociable, team-based and for everyone.

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, sadly many people are going to fall out of work, but re-training or improving your current skills is a great way of finding employment again quickly. The Coding Bootcamp being offered by School of Code will help do exactly that.

“I would urge everyone of any age to look into the option of coding, and the success of people like Clare Streets, who went from being a stay-at-home mum to now running B13 Technologies, shows just what a difference it can make.”

Applications are open now for Bootcamp 7. You can enrol now by visiting: www.schoolofcode.co.uk

The Millennium Point Scholarship is an annual competition in partnership with Birmingham City University which awards a fully funded undergraduate degree at the faculty of Computing, Engineering, and the Built Environment. Now in its seventh year, we look at the STEM leaders behind this year’s judging panel.

Hanifa is Pro Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment at Birmingham City University.

She is a firm advocate of the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship, and has been involved in the competition for several years on behalf of the university:

“From our point of view, and for our partners at Millennium Point Trust, it’s really important that we create opportunities in STEM-related subjects for people from a diverse range of backgrounds, and that’s why we’re committed to doing this. We think it’s incumbent on us to create these opportunities and be part of that ecosystem that drives opportunities for people who might not consider going into STEM and STEM-related careers.”

She adds: “I think the second part of this is really from the point of view of the students themselves – the scholarship is a fantastic opportunity to go into a STEM-related subject to develop the professional capabilities that will launch them into a great career.

“Following on from the global pandemic, there’s going to be changes that are technological, economic and societal, and these are going to require a response from STEM-related industries, and as a result of this there are going to be new jobs created, new types of jobs and new opportunities.

“With the focus on things like sustainable living, the electrification of vehicles and artificial intelligence, these are very much reliant on STEM,” says Hanifa. “Therefore, we need to develop the skills in the region if we’re going to drive the opportunities.

“STEM-related jobs are growing at a faster pace than non-STEM-related jobs – a huge opportunity area for the region and anybody who’s developing skills and capabilities in this field. In addition, STEM graduates are known to earn more than non-STEM graduates – a lot of people don’t realise that.”

“Studying for a STEM subject means not only will they become a professional in an area that’s really important, but they’ll also develop more general, transferrable skills around creativity, problem solving, designing, developing, making and becoming self-organised and efficient.”

Hanifa has a clear view on what she wants from the scholarship finalists:

“I’m looking for someone that demonstrates real passion for their subject, and I’d like to see that evidence through them being able to show a broader understanding of the importance of key aspects of their subject, alongside some important details as well,” she explains.

“Have they thought of really important questions? Have they made us think when they’ve talked to us about their subject with passion? Have they shown us that they’ll be someone who will make the most of this life-changing opportunity?”

For more information on the scholarship competition, or how to apply, please visit www.millenniumpoint.org.uk

Abbie is CEO of Millennium Point, and head judge for the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship 2021. Abbie has been instrumental to the project since her appointment as CEO in 2018, ensuring that the impact of the project remains significant and in line with overall objective of the Millennium Point Trust to grow STEM education and opportunities in Birmingham and the wider region.

“I think STEM is important to the region because it’s the careers of today and it’s also the careers of the future,” she says.

“The scholarship is incredibly important – it’s about showcasing STEM and supporting people, because if you change a child’s life then you change a family’s life and their future and that’s everything that we want to do. STEM is about creating things, solving problems, and these issues will never go away, and so STEM careers will always be there,” she adds.

“They’re also beginning to underpin lots of the traditional careers – so whether you’re a lawyer, an accountant or in medicine, STEM is behind all of that. There’s also a huge skills gap in STEM at the moment, and if we can get more and more people into STEM careers, that will be great for the economy and great for the region.

Abbie continues: “The scholarship is really important to Millennium Point, and it is one of our flagship initiatives; it’s about creating an opportunity for young people in the region that they may never have.

“It’s wider than winning the scholarship, it’s bigger than that – it’s the journey you go on from the minute you become a finalist and the exposure to different industries and key people in the region. If you do go on to win, you become an ambassador for Millennium Point Trust and that will take you on a journey where you’ll meet lots of different people.

“What am I looking for from the candidates? For me, it’s about someone who’s really invested in what they want to do with their chosen subject; over the years of doing the scholarship, it always amazes me at such a young age they can look at what they want to do with their subject and how they can make a difference in the world.”

What I’m looking from the candidate is ‘this is what I’m going to do, this is how I’ll make a difference to the region with what I choose to do’ – so someone who’s incredibly focused on that they know it’s going to change their lives and they’re going to make their lives better with that career.

“We really love the Millennium Point Scholarship; it’s really important, and it’s having a great impact on people; we’re already seeing the benefits of the scholarship on the people that came through seven years ago, and they’re doing exactly what they wanted to do, so we really want people to apply for the 2022 Scholarship. STEM is still really important – it’s the careers of the future and we want to help you to get where you want to be without that financial burden. We can support you.”

For more information on the scholarship competition, or how to apply, please visit www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/scholarship

Mike is Head of Business Development and education at Learn By Design, working in over 1,500 schools every year in outreach education: drop-down days and activities such as after-school clubs, with the vast majority having a STEM feel.

Mike is himself a STEM graduate (Chemistry and Sport Science) and has worked in STEM outreach and STEM education for around 20 years; he is also a qualified secondary science teacher.

He says: “I believe STEM’s really important to the region, both Birmingham and the Midlands as a whole; so much industry in the region has a STEM feel, from aeronautical to automotive, to new and emerging industries such as AI and gaming.

“There are so may jobs in STEM, that I believe it’s crucial for the prosperity and growth of both Birmingham and the Midlands, and it also offers so much opportunity to young people to have great careers, well-paid jobs and to travel; it’s the backbone of innovation which will drive our economy forward.”

He adds: “I think the scholarship is absolutely fantastic; it gives someone the opportunity to perhaps follow an education in STEM at graduate level which they may not otherwise have been able to do; there are, unfortunately, barriers to getting into higher education, and one of those is funding and being able to afford it. The scholarship offers someone the chance to pursue a lifelong passion and to have a fantastic career out of the back end of it.

“There is such a great need for promoting careers in STEM, and this plugs one small hole, but at least it gives someone the opportunity who might not have had it before.”

In terms of what he’s looking for from the finalists, Mike wants to see pure enthusiasm and a passion for STEM; a level of understanding and commitment: “I want to be sure that they’re actually going to see the course through,” he explains.

“I also want to learn more about the candidates in terms of what they hope to give back to the wider STEM community – do they do any outreach work, any volunteering, or do they have plans to – and I’d be really interested to know their future career ambitions – whether they want to go into the likes of research, engineering, innovation, AI.

“As much as we can as judges, I’d like to get to know them as people; what drives them, and why they’ve chosen a STEM subject, and why they needed or wanted to apply for the scholarship.”

For more information on the scholarship competition, or how to apply, please visit www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/scholarship