The Deal will provide Moray with specialist STEM facilities, learning environments, and training and resources for classroom based STEM learning.
This project will positively change attitudes towards STEM and over time, the culture around how STEM is perceived in the region.
Total programme funding of £4.8 million:
To raise the aspirations of children age 3-8 in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
Early Years STEM, also known as STEM Starts, aims to encourage young people to enter into a STEM related career when they leave education and focuses on STEM engagement with children in their early stages of learning (age 3-8).
The project will develop a STEM learning ecosystem in the Moray area, through the creation of specialist learning environments and experiences, access to training and resources, and the creation of a STEM learning network involving key delivery partners, upskilled staff, and volunteers from industry and the wider community.
This innovative development will build on existing educational practices and initiatives, and will create the necessary infrastructure to support a STEM skills pathway from early years through to broad general education and beyond.
The project will invest in state of the art facilities in community settings across Moray, each offering a unique experience that can be delivered flexibly across the region, including mobile and outreach offerings.
These Hubs will aim to inspire and enhance the STEM learning experience of children and staff through age appropriate, curriculum aligned and industry related STEM experiences, and will offer accessibility to parents, employers and the wider community, thereby allowing inter-generational learning to take place.
The first phase of the MGD STEM Starts Project has seen development of an Early Years STEM Discovery Centre and Community Learning Hub, hosted within Elgin Library at Cooper Park. The space serves as a focal point for early years STEM education, delivering interactive learning experiences to Early Learning and Childcare settings, primary schools, and home educators across the region.
The centre was developed by Moray Council in collaboration with exhibition designers, Glasgow Science Centre and Unusual Projects.
Images of the completed centre are shown below:
Phase one has also delivered a robust outreach provision that includes a mobile offer and STEM Lending Resource, delivered by the STEM Starts team.
The second phase of the STEM Starts project will extend the reach of engagement and expand the offer throughout Moray.
Satellite hubs in the areas of Forres and Buckie will be delivered in the later project phases, as well as a unique outdoor educational facility.
Information on phase two plans will be shared when proposals are further developed.
The popular STEM Starts Discovery Centre in Elgin has announced it will be opening its doors for three weeks of free sessions over the summer following a clear desire from families across Moray for additional sessions. Previous sessions have demonstrated a
The first STEM Starts Centre in Moray has officially opened its doors in Elgin today, marking a major milestone for the £4.8 million Early Years
