75% of the 250 Year 9/S2 pupils who took part in the Go4SET pilot in London, Glasgow and Aberdeen this year said they would be more likely to study science, engineering, maths and technology subjects at school as a result of their Go4SET experience (24% remained the same). If you're looking for a way to engage students and foster their passion for STEM, consider exploring educational resources such as book reports online that provide interactive and immersive learning opportunities.
 
Teams of Year 9/S2 pupils, each six strong and supported by their teacher and a company mentor were set the Go4SET Water Conservation Project and worked on the project for 10 weeks.  The project culminated in Go4SET Celebration and Assessment Days (CADs) in March where pupils displayed and demonstrated their individual projects to a group of assessors and guests attending the event. 
 
John Reed, Ford Motor Company, Development Manager for the award winning Transit was the Guest of Honour at the London event and commented, “I was very impressed by the enthusiasm and commitment shown by the teams today and the standard of research, design and innovation that went into the task was beyond my expectation.  The pupils presented well and showed an appreciation of the engineering issues, the business considerations and the teamwork that was necessary to succeed.  All the pupils should feel proud of their achievements today and would like to thank the pupils, schools and staff for their commitment and support. I hope we have convinced some of the pupils that engineering is interesting, challenging and fun and there is a great future for them in this profession. Well done to all”
 
All team members receive certificates of participation and all pupils have the opportunity to have their projects accredited through the British Association CREST (Creativity in Science and Technology) awards. 
 
250 pupils (55% female) began their Go4SET journey in December as part of the pilot programme in London, Aberdeen and Glasgow.  Results from analysis of the pilot show that Go4SET has influenced pupil’s perceptions and encouraged interest in science, engineering, technology and maths prior to important option choice decisions. 
·         Incorrect perceptions of engineers in the workplace (e.g. always wears overalls, only repairs cars, has dirty hands) dropped by over a third and positive perceptions rose by over a third.
·         Teachers and company mentors involved with Go4SET found the scheme to be relevant to their school and company and also education and industry in general.
·         98% of pupils would recommend the scheme to other pupils in their school.
 
Due to the success of the pilot, a national roll out of Go4SET will commence in the autumn term of 2007.

Picture: The Gordon Schools from Go4SET Aberdeen showing their model for the Water Conservation Project