Students at UTC Plymouth in Devonport have unveiled an innovative new app designed to increase the number of post-16 students studying or working in STEM fields.
UTC Plymouth students decided to take on the challenge to co-ordinate local STEM activity, supporting the delivery of the STEM Plymouth Strategic Plan, because the old system of distributing a Word document listing events and initiatives meant that information was out of date almost as soon as it had been circulated.
They decided that there had to be a better and more effective way of sharing information, and hence the app was born!
Designed and developed by, Gloria Oladokun, Kaye Richards, Jack Tuckwell, Tyler Hoskin, a group of Sixth Form IT and Computing Level BTEC students, the App sets out in one place all STEM related activities going on in Plymouth and the surrounding area. It will be used by primary and secondary schools, libraries and wider organisations involved in the Plymouth Forum – reaching tens of thousands of users.
The students have worked on its development since the start of this academic year and showcased their work to an audience including Cllr Jon Taylor, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Transformation, and Dean Ashton, chief executive of Reach South Academy Trust, of which UTC Plymouth is a part.
Now the STEM calendar can be found on computers, phones and ipads by Googling ‘plymouth stem calendar’.
Cllr Jon Taylor said:
“Key learning around science, technology, engineering and maths is a priority area in the Plymouth Plan for Employment and Skills, which aims to help broaden career choices, so I’m really impressed with the work the students have done to make this new STEM app a reality. It’s another fantastic example that shows just how important these core skills are for the city’s future.”
Simon Pykett, project lead and computer science teacher said:
“Our students have shown some serious resilience and commitment to both their studies and to the production of the STEM app.
“The experiences and skills that the group are gaining from real-world scenarios such as this cannot be learned in the classroom alone. This again demonstrates UTC Plymouth’s solid reputation for providing young STEM ambassadors within the City of Plymouth and I am proud to be part of their journey.”
Polly Lovell, principal of UTC Plymouth said:
“It is vital that our students get ‘real life experience.’ The management of this app by our sixth form computing students has given them the skills and expertise to move forward with their chosen pathway. It is a perfect example of The UTC model engaging with real live scenarios.”
In Plymouth 60 per cent of jobs are STEM related and there is a very real need for students to be equipped to fill these jobs.
STEM app manager, 16-year-old Kaye Richards said:
“The app has made STEM content and STEM activities more accessible throughout Plymouth. It’s up to date and fits in with today’s digital mindset of accessibility. The experiences that I’ve gained from writing live code, taking regular backups and ensuring that the feed remains live gives me a feeling of responsibility and excitement.”
CSS developer, Gloria Oladokun, also 16, said:
“The responsibilities that I’ve been given in terms of styling the content is a big one as it’s incredibly easy to break the code and indeed the overall framework. The STEM app runs like a little business as we all have separate roles and specific tasks that we must ensure are carried out to make sure that the app continues to be functional.”
HTML developer, Jack Tuckwell, 16, added:
“On completion of my B-Tec Level 3 computing course I would like to use the knowledge and skills I have gained within this excellent course to find employment within the computing industry. I aspire to work with a multi-national company such as IBM.”
The four students are good friends and have set up a company to look at web development.
