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By Lydia Barnett, Senior Consultant
Last September, I volunteered to become a Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Ambassador alongside my client-facing role as a Project Planner and Scheduler within the Ministry of Defence.
My motivation for this stemmed from my own experiences as a female who studied Mathematics. Throughout my education, I noticed a lack of representation for women in STEM careers and wanted to help change this narrative for future generations. My aspiration is to be the role model I wish I had seen growing up; inspiring young girls to pursue their interests in STEM with confidence and without barriers.
My Journey in Volunteer Work
The Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Education Programme I volunteer with has brought together a group of like-minded Consultants that wish to give back to the local community. Through this initiative, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside peers from Jacobs, Turner & Townsend and Whitetree to deliver interactive, classroom-based workshops within local Secondary Schools.
The Education Programme aims to teach pupils about four essential skills (communication, logistics, problem solving and budgeting) whilst highlighting how these skills link to careers within the Defence sector. The sessions are designed for pupils ages 11-13 (Year 7-8) and run for around two hours.
Having had little experience working with young people, my journey as a STEM Ambassador began with some classroom-based training. As volunteers, we were taught how to communicate effectively with 11-13 year olds, ensuring that the language we used was age-appropriate and easily understandable. Additionally, we had to carefully consider how to describe our job roles to young people in a manner that would resonate with them, breaking down complex concepts into digestible and relatable terms.
As a Planner and Scheduler, I decided to use the ‘how would you make a cup of tea’ analogy to labour the importance of planning when delivering a project. This encouraged the pupils to consider all the tasks required to make a cup of tea, and the importance of performing these tasks in the most efficient order (i.e. boiling the kettle first!).
A Glimpse into Volunteer Activities
Since completing my training, I’ve helped deliver two STEAM Education Programme sessions. These were held at Bradley Stoke Community School and Broadoak Academy, in November 2023 and March 2024, respectively.
The lesson plans are designed to be interactive, through the use of educational games and breakout activities, and it was rewarding to witness the pupils’ enthusiasm as they became animated during the sessions. Our survey results showed that students with ‘good’ knowledge of STEAM careers more than doubled during our most recent event, which was testament to the students’ engagement.
From delivering these events, we have also been able to capture lessons learned to continuously improve the Education Programme for future iterations. I hope to help deliver future sessions, and hopefully my involvement has helped to increase the visibility of women in STEM careers, as well as the Defence industry.
Conclusion
I am grateful to i3Works for recognising the importance of social value initiatives and actively encouraging and facilitating opportunities for employees like myself to get involved. i3Works have supported my journey as a STEM Ambassador by allowing time off contract to undertake training and volunteer at local Secondary Schools.
I would encourage my network to explore volunteering opportunities in their local community, such as becoming a STEM Ambassador, as I’ve witnessed firsthand the incredible rewards that come with it.
