Events mark college STEM success story

Pupils take part in Forth Valley College's STEM conference workshop

Forth Valley College celebrated its reaccreditation of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) with a hands on conference for young people and a dinner.

Over 100 delegates attended this first Making STEM Work event at the Falkirk campus on June 1 where they heard from Professor Sa’ad Medhat of the STEM Foundation and educationalist David Cameron.

They also took part in workshops delivered by the college’s own lecturers, Dogfi.sh Mobile, Diageo, Charles River, Historic Environment Scotland, Scottish Power Energy Networks, Equate Scotland and Skills Development Scotland.

The conference was part of the Big Bang Scotland initiative which aims to inspire the UK’s future scientists and engineers.

Dr Ken Thomson, college principal, said: “STEM is central to our mission ‘Making Learning Work@. STEM cuts across all aspects of college activity and we offer opportunities at all points of the skill pipeline offering seamless progression from school right through to the workplace.”

Professor Medhat said: “Employers working with STEM Assured colleges can be confident that the educational offering is impactful and supports their skills needs to drive their business growth.”

Forth Valley was the first college in Scotland to receive STEM Assured Status in 2012.

The celebration events were sponsored by Scottish law firm MacRoberts LLP.