What are the benefits of STEM Assured?
Achievement of the Standard brings a number of benefits including:
- Industry confidence in the STEM education and training provided. This creates potential
for improving and increasing industrial partnerships, generating additional revenue
streams for the college
- Improved employability of learners and better clarity in the learner journey, which
help drive up demand for places from able students
- Joining a network of STEM Assured colleges
The process for gaining the standard brings additional benefits to the college:
- It encourages and fosters a high level of consistency in the quality of STEM education
and training
- The process promotes cross-curricular collaboration in teaching & learning, knowledge
transfer and business innovation
STEM Assured
STEM Assured is an outcomes-based standard developed to recognise the quality of
institution-wide STEM delivery. Unique in the sector, achievement of the standard
highlights your strengths and capabilities, helping you engage with learners and
employers.
The Process
The standard has been specifically developed to assure the quality of an integrated,
cross - curricular approach to Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths vocational
education. Therefore the process involves a critical review of a provider’s strategy
and approach to ensure their vocational STEM offer meets the needs of learners,
employers and sectors. STEM Assured adds an industry-led assurance component to
existing quality assurance standards and/or systems.
The standard highlights performance in six areas – strategy and planning, engagement,
design and delivery, innovation, standards and impact. The process follows the following
steps:
- Induction: The College is given all the information it needs to carry out the process
of analysing and fine-tuning its STEM provision, ready for stage 2.
- Self-assessment: the completion of focused reports and questions by the college.
These are designed to be thorough without being excessively time consuming. Existing
evidence eg Ofsted reports, is fed in at this stage.
- Visit and report by NEF advisor.
- The validation panel, comprised of independent industry experts, makes its recommendation
based on the self assessment and information received.
- This leads to the award of the STEM Assured certification, or, if the standards
are not met, recommendations for further work.
A successful organisation will still receive constructive feedback from the panel,
on areas for further enhancement and development of provision.
The STEM Assured standard is applicable to Further Education colleges and other
vocational STEM training providers who have achieved quality marks such as high
Ofsted ratings in STEM subject areas, and other schemes (e.g TQS, IIP, Matrix).
Why do you need STEM Assured?
STEM Assured is the only standard that focuses on the quality and approach
to STEM education and training. Achievement of the standard validates your approach
to training and highlights areas of strength, specialism and capability. The
STEM
Assured standard can subsequently be used in your engagement with potential
learners and employer engagement activities.