STEAM

Supporting our STEAM ambitions

Glasgow Caledonian University is proud to be leading the way in widening access with multi-award winning, nationally recognised outreach programmes and as one of only two Scottish universities who are already meeting the Scottish Government’s target to have one fifth of their students from disadvantaged backgrounds by 2030.

Using this expertise we have an ambitious vision to be the leader in promoting, recruiting and supporting talented individuals from all backgrounds to study a STEAM-related programme.  We want to inspire young people to engage in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, nurturing students to unlock their potential and develop the skills and qualities which the industry needs.

With STEAM careers accounting for 23.5% of all employment in Scotland, there is a growing need to develop knowledge and capability in this area.  Research has shown that there is a large gender imbalance at university level with women representing just 19% of those enrolling on Engineering and Technology programmes.  Worryingly, 73% of women who qualify in STEAM subjects leave the sector.  At GCU, we want to work towards the Gender Action Plan (GAP) ambition that by 2030 no college or university subject will have a gender imbalance greater than 75% of one gender.

We want to support those who are currently under-represented in STEAM, focusing on women, BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic) and those from disadvantaged backgrounds, by deepening our activity with schools and growing the amount of support available to ensure finance is not a barrier.

In support of our vision for the future, we are working closely with colleagues in the School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment to refresh the format of their Prize Giving, facilitating support for STEAM-related activity and scholarships, in addition to student prizes.  As part of this we aim to build in more opportunities for industry partners to engage closely with talented students, supporting those currently underrepresented in STEAM.

For more information contact Nina Campbell nina.campbell@gcu.ac.uk 0141 273 1014.