Humble Beginnings
The first engineering school in Australia opened in 1861 with 15 students enrolled. From handwritten notes to online lectures and task-based learning, learning STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) has definitely come a long way. 150 years later, STEM is being recognized around Australia as a force to be reckoned with. Since its humble start, the government has allocated a lot of resources to make sure that STEM subjects are given their due importance.
Since then…
The Australian government has put aside AUD$64 million as part of the National Innovation and Science Agenda (NIA) to fund STEM initiatives in Australian schools. Some of these initiatives include, Embracing the Digital Age and Inspiring STEM Literacy. They have also put aside $1.5 million to introduce Artificial Intelligence in Schools.
In 2015, the Australian government set up the National STEM School Education Strategy, which is meant to continue until 2026. The Early Learning STEM Australia (ELSA) is another initiative that was started in 2018 and continued for a second year this year. The program initially targeted 97 preschools, 400 educators and 4000 children around the country and then progressed to 110 preschools in 2019.
The future of STEM in Australia
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that STEM will still be important into the future. They predict that jobs of tomorrow will need problem solving skills, digital skills and creative thinking. With the amount of money that the Australian government has put into STEM in recent years, it is definitely a worthwhile investment.
Today, many universities and STEM related industries see life-long learning as an imperative skill. They have coined the term, ‘micro-credentialing’ – where people need to go back to school for shorter courses but have to constantly upgrade themselves to keep up with the trends. As technology changes rapidly and continues to become more and more complex, employees too, need to constantly upgrade themselves.
STEMmates for the future
STEMmates is proud to be one of the beacons of STEM in Australia. We endeavor to make sure that every child that comes to our courses is inspired and encouraged to continue their STEM journey.
Our hands-on classes and activity-based workshops are designed to spark excitement in the eyes of our young learners. Our courses also teach students essential soft skills that are crucial for their future lives. Our aim is to get them ‘career-ready’, even when they are as young as 7 years old.
We can only imagine what lies ahead for the future of STEM. But we need to make sure that our children hit the ground running. Make sure that your child is prepared for what lies ahead.
Sign up for our holiday programs and classes for 2020 on our website and Facebook pages today!
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