Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme
Employer Investment Fund – Phase 3
April 2013
A REPORT SUBMITTED TO
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
Table of Contents
Executive Summary..............................................................................................................1
1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................3
2. Performance Review ..................................................................................................... 6
3. Conclusions and Recommendations ...........................................................................16
Key Contact:
Georgia Siora
Managing Director
WECD
www.w-ecd.com
Somerset House
Clarendon Place
Leamington Spa
CV32 5QN
+44(0) 1926 880405
gsiora@w-ecd.com
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
Executive Summary
The key aim of the Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme has been to increase and enhance
female students’ awareness and understanding of apprenticeship training, practical skills and potential
careers in the science industries. The impact of such an intervention would be a significant increase in the
number of 16-18 year old female applicants for apprenticeships in England and Wales and acceleration in
the rate of employers recruiting Higher Apprentices (HA) in England.
Within a delivery time scale of 6 months (October 2012 – March 2013), the project aimed to deliver a wide
range of activities under a two-strand approach:
 Strand 1: will raise awareness by working with girls on technical apprenticeship opportunities in order
to:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Change perceptions by engaging 90 girls in experimental days at employers premises
Reach a further 900+ girls through cascade programme of peer feedback
Use social media to create an identity for the female apprenticeship cohort
Reach 900+ parents through information targeting and direct engagement
Engage at least 30 employers in unconscious bias training, networking with potential apprentices
and creating work experience appetite and opportunities
Hold celebration conferences enabling girls, parents and teachers to meet with positive female
role models and employers
Offer positive action training for TAS Business Development staff to enable them to best
promote a diverse workforce to science sector employers
The approach adopted to deliver these objectives is the Positive Perceptions of Industry (P2I)
Programme aimed at year 10 girls and also using some post-16 girls. This project involves
experiential visits for some students, with subsequent cascade sessions to many more year 10 students
in schools/colleges. The Positive Perceptions of Industry (P2I) Programme has been designed by
Business Education Matters Ltd (BEM) to improve young people’s perceptions of industry.
 Strand 2: The second strand focuses on incentivising 30 employers to commence the recruitment of a
Higher Level Apprentice (both genders) to accelerate current levels of activity and overcome barriers.
This includes utilising participation funding of £1,000 per head to incentivising 30 employers to recruit
High Level Science Technicians onto the Higher Apprenticeship Science Framework.
The Technical Apprenticeship Service (TAS) has worked with Business Education Matters (BEM) and the
WISE Campaign to deliver this programme.
The key aim of the evaluation of the programme at this early stage has been to establish whether the
activities planned as part of the programme and the anticipated outputs have been achieved and assess
what has worked well.
KEY EVALUATION FINDINGS
The evaluation has shown that within a short period of time a lot of developmental and delivery activities
have taken place.
 Overall, the project has delivered all its planned activities and tasks and achieved the vast majority of
its set targets, with some targets exceeded and only one where progress was made. Targets exceeded
include girls expressing an interest in work experience, number of new employers placing orders for
Higher Level Apprentices and number of schools engaged. Targets not fully met are those involving
engaging employers in additional training i.e. employers trained in unconscious training. It needs to be
recognised, however, that engagement with employers and in particular SMEs, can be a relatively long
process.
1
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
 The ‘change in perception’ feedback from the female students participating in the project to date has
been extremely positive and implies that the key aim of the project has been achieved: approximately
1000 more girls studying in England are better informed about potential careers in science. This has
been achieved by directly engaging only 9-10 girls per school, indicating the significant multiplier
effect (estimated at 10.5) that it can be achieved in terms of outcomes by a relative small intervention,
in a relatively short period of time.
 Expressions of interest to work in science-related industries by participating female students have
surpassed targets and expectations – with essentially 1 in 3 students participating in the project
expressing an interest for work experience, indicating that follow up and continuous reinforcement of
the concept would deliver the long-term aspiration i.e. increase the number of 16-18 year old female
applicants for apprenticeships in England and Wales.
 Furthermore, the project has shown that employers in the sector would be supportive of a specific
apprenticeship scheme to attract female students and potential employees: targets for starts and
orders of Higher Apprenticeships have been met and the in-kind contribution to the programme by the
employers has been exceeded. Furthermore, it is worth noting that nearly 2 in 3 orders placed for
Higher Apprenticeships are from organisations that are new to these apprenticeships.
 The feedback from all the parties involved in this short programme has been largely positive.
This project could have a significant positive impact on the science-based sectors, in particular in the light
of the importance of science-based industries for the UK but also the skills gaps identified in key sectors.
All evidence suggests that the project could be transferred to a larger population/scale including to other
sectors.
2
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
1. Introduction
PROJECT BACKGROUND
1.1
In October 2012, the Technical Apprenticeship Service (TAS), in partnership with Business Education
Matters (BEM) and the WISE Campaign, received funding through the UK Commission for
Employment and Skills (UKCES) to undertake a project to raise awareness of Technical Science
Apprenticeships among female students.
1.2
The key aim of the project has been to increase and enhance female students’ awareness and
understanding of apprenticeship training, practical skills and potential careers in the science
industries. The impact of such an intervention would be a significant increase in the number of 16-18
year old female applicants for apprenticeships in England and Wales and acceleration in the rate of
employers recruiting Higher Apprentices (HA) in England.
1.3
There is strong evidence to support the need for such a project. For example:
1.4
o
According to research undertaken by King’s College London as part of the ASPIRES project1,
evidence from a UK survey of over 9,000 pupils aged 10/11 shows that even though the vast
majority of children at this age enjoy science at school; have parents who are supportive of
them studying science; hold positive views of scientists and even undertake science-related
activities in their spare time; nevertheless, very few (less than 17%) aspire to a career in
science. Studies also indicate that, after the age of 10/11, children’s science attitudes start to
decline (notably from ages 10-14).
o
Previous research also quoted by WISE shows that while a few (mainly ex-Soviet) countries
have around 20% women in STEM, Western European countries such as France and Spain (17%
each), Denmark (16%), Germany and Finland (15% each) and UK (9% the lowest), all bring the
European average down to 17% 2.
o
As also stated by WISE, the 2011 Girlguiding UK survey found that 43% of girls said that they
were put off science and engineering careers because they did not know enough about the
careers available in this area. Two thirds also mentioned that they did not have female roles.
o
Analysis of TAS recruitment data shows that 1 in 5 applicants for science-based roles are
female. A Cogent survey of 165 employers also tested gender imbalance and explored whether
there is genuine employer appetite to recruit more females into the sector. Employers
reported receiving more job applications for science/technology jobs from males than females
(92% to 8%) and 67% respondents agreed that encouraging more women to apply for job
vacancies is important to their business. Almost 70% stated that building a diverse workforce
and recruiting and retaining more women in the workplace was important.
Apprenticeships are one means of addressing the skills gap as they involve industry directly in
education and training. In the Annual CBI Education and Skills survey undertaken in 20113 they
concluded:
o
o
o
o
An increased proportion of employers use Apprenticeships (63%).
90% of apprentices found employment or self-employment immediately after completing
their training.
Amongst firms needing people with STEM knowledge and skills, 43% have difficulty recruiting
staff.
13% of employers say it is hard to find people with STEM skills to train as apprentices.
1
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/sspp/departments/education/research/aspires/10FactsandFictionsfinalversion.pdf
UK/Association of German Engineers
3 Education and Skills Survey, CBI, May 2011
2 Engineering
3
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
1.5
Within this context, the main aim of the programme is to enhance female students’ awareness and
understanding of Apprenticeship training and potential careers in the science-based industries.
Figure 1 summarises the logic chain for this project.
Figure 1: Logic Chain of the Programme
90 direct
experiences for girls
Employer
Investment Fund of
£227,390 over two
stage 6-month
period
Anticipated In-kind
Employer
investment of
£72,900 over a two
stage 6-month
period
Offer experience days
to girls-only groups &
cascade
CPD training on
unconscious bias
Conference with
industry role models
Raised awareness of
diversity and Higher
Apprenticeships
through TAS
interventions
900+ girls at school
reached through
cascade from girls
visiting employers
Social media
support
90 attendees at the
role models
conference
Promotion to
Parents
30 requests for HA
More girls with a
greater knowledge
of roles
More girls work
experience
More girls applying
for Appren ceships
More Higher
appren ces – more
quickly
A more diverse
science industry
workforce
The vanguard of
science technicians
Increased employer
aspira ons to invest
in skills in a diverse
workforce
15 new employers
requesting an HA
through TAS
6
Months
Inputs
6
Months
Ac vi es
Employers
and
Schools
Ac vi es
6
Months
Prospec ve
appren ces
1-3
Years
Long-term
Outputs
3+ Years
Long-term
Impacts
PROJECT DELIVERY
1.6
Within a delivery time scale of 6 months (October 2012 – March 2013), the project would deliver a
wide range of activities under a two-strand approach:
 Strand 1: will raise awareness by working with 1000 girls on technical apprenticeship
opportunities and increasing the number of female applicants from 1 in 5 to 1 in 4. If successful
this will:
o
Change perceptions by engaging 90 girls in experimental days at employers premises
o
Reach a further 900+ girls through cascade programme of peer feedback
o
Use social media to create an identity for the female apprenticeship cohort
o
Reach 900+ parents through information targeting and direct engagement
o
Engage at least 30 employers in unconscious bias training, networking with potential apprentices
and creating work experience appetite and opportunities
o
Hold celebration conferences enabling girls, parents and teachers to meet with positive female
role models and employers
o
Offer positive action training for TAS Business Development staff to enable them to best
promote a diverse workforce to science sector employers
 It is worth noting that one of the projects contributing to meeting these objectives is the Positive
Perceptions of Industry (P2I) Programme aimed at year 10 girls and also using some post-16
girls. This project involves experiential visits for some students, with subsequent cascade
sessions to many more year 10 students in schools/colleges. The Positive Perceptions of Industry
(P2I) Programme has been designed by Business Education Matters Ltd (BEM) to improve young
people’s perceptions of industry.
4
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
 Strand 2: The second strand focuses on incentivising 30 employers to commence the recruitment
of a Higher Level Apprentice (both genders) to accelerate current levels of activity and overcome
barriers. This includes utilising participation funding of £1,000 per head to incentivising 30
employers to recruit High Level Science Technicians onto the Higher Apprenticeship Science
Framework. This will speed up and secure the creation of a cohort of Higher Level Science
Technicians for the future workforce.
EVALUATION REMIT
1.7
1.8
1.9
In the long-term, the evaluation should demonstrate whether:

The number of female applicants to TAS has increased (e.g. from 1 to 5 applicants to 1 to 4
applicants – from 20% to 25%);

The programme has contributed to creating a vanguard of both science technicians and
employers; and that,

The science industry workforce is more diverse and the extent to which the programme has
contributed to this.
In the meantime, the key objectives of the evaluation of the programme at this early stage is:

To establish whether the activities planned as part of the programme and the anticipated
outputs have been achieved;

To review what has worked well (and less well) in delivering the programme identifying key
enablers/supporting elements but also challenges faced;

To assess participants (students, parents, schools, employers) satisfaction with the
programme and any feedback to refine/adjust;

To assess the difference made by the programme to employers’ awareness, perceptions and
approach and identify case studies to capture changes/differences; and,

To assess the value attached to the programme in qualitative terms i.e. as demonstrated by
their willingness to further invest in the programme.
The key questions to be addressed to respond to these issues are summarised in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Questions for Year 1 Interim Evaluation
ACTIVITY
EVALUATION QUESTIONS
Review of Project Plan/Milestones
Have the activities planned as part of the programme
and the anticipated outputs been achieved?
Feedback from Employers
Feedback from Schools
Feedback from girls/parents
Feedback from Partner Organisations
What has been the feedback?
What worked well/less well?
Employers’ practices put in place
Review of HA orders
Are there any case studies that would capture emerging
changes/differences?
Employers’ contribution – HA take up/orders
What is the value attached to the programme as
demonstrated by their willingness to further invest in the
programme?
1.10 The following section reviews the performance of the WiSApp against planned outputs and results
for this period of activities of the project and provides responses to the Interim Evaluation questions.
5
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
2. Performance Review
PLANNED ACTIVITIES AND RESULTS
2.1
The WISApp Investment Plan4 details the activities and anticipated results for each investment
stage. This forms the basis for the project reporting in the Investment Stage Completion Reports
required at the end of each EIP3 Investment Stage. Figure 3 summarises the key results anticipated.
Figure 3: Key anticipated results by Investment Stages 1 and 2
Investment Stage 1
(October to December 2012)
Investment Stage 2
(January to March 2013)
Develop detailed project plan
10 employers undergoing unconscious bias training
Develop Marketing/Communication plans
Deliver 1 x Girl Conference with 10 employers and 15
girls attending
Recruit Project Manager
20 “orders” for HA apprentices received
Establish stakeholders links
10 new employers placing an order through TAS for an
HA
Commence employer engagement
900+ parents reached through information targeting
and direct engagement
Carry out regional activity (from East Midlands,
Yorkshire & South Wales) in the form of 6 employer
school interventions reaching 60 girls through in-depth
experience, 665 girls through cascade and resulting 40
girls requesting work experience
20 employers receiving unconscious bias training
10 “orders” for HA apprentices received
5 new employers placing an order through TAS for a
HA
2 x conferences delivered with 20 employers and 30
girls attending
All Tas employer engagements to undertake gender
unconcious bias training
Social media used to create an identity for the female
apprentice cohort
2.2
Carry out regional activity (from East Midlands,
Yorkshire & South Wales) in the form of 3 employer
school interventions reaching 30 girls through indepth experience, 335 through cascade and resulting
in 20 girls requesting work experience
Development of good practice case studies of females
and Higher Apprentices in the workplace for use
across the 4 nations in future work
Evaluation of project external evaluation report
It should be noted that for the purposes of the evaluation and based on the review of activities
planned within the 6-month deliver timeline of the project, the first three months of the project
(October to December 2012) should be seen as the development stage of the project i.e.
launching the project and organising activities, with the vast majority of the delivery taking
place in the second half i.e. January to March 2013.
PERFORMANCE AGAINST PLANNED OUTPUTS
2.3
4
Figures 4, 5 summarise achievement of targets as per investment stage. Figure 6 brings all the
information together.
Investment Plan: Employer Investment Fund – Phase 3 – Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme
6
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
Figure 4: Performance against targets: Investment Stage 1 - Project Launch and Development
Investment Stage 1
October – December 2012

Project Plan (including evaluation plan) in place
Develop Marketing/Communication
plans

Marketing and Communications Plan in place for the whole
TAS programme
Recruit Project Manager

Project Manager in Place
Establish stakeholder links

Links between Cogent, WISE Campaign and Business Education
Matters
Commence employer engagement

Engagement of employers commenced

In Investment Stage 1, regional developmental activities
took place in all three regions with venues arranged in all
areas. However, 2 of the six employer visits materialised –
albeit with notable successes (see paragraph 2.5)
Develop detailed project plan
Carry out regional activity (East
Midlands, Yorkshire & South Wales) in
the form of 6 employer school
interventions reaching 60 girls
through in-depth experience, 665 girls
through cascade and resulting 40 girls
requesting work experience
20 employers receiving unconscious
bias training
Two bias training events postponed till Stage 2
10 “orders” for HA apprentices
received

5 new employers placing an order through
TAS for a HA

2 x conferences delivered with 20
employers and 30 girls attending
All TAS employer engagements to
undetake gender unconcious bias
training
Social Media used to create an identity
for the female apprentice cohort
2.4
9starts and orders
6 of the applications were new to TAS
1 Conference held, 58 girls and 4 employers – the 2nd event
was confirmed for March 2013 in Bradford.


Gender Equality Training for TAS staff
Messages on website sent through Twitter and Facebook
During this early stage of the project, all activities commenced as scheduled and nine of the twelve
tasks were accomplished. However, a number of cancellations took place because of employers and
schools other commitments and priorities and the rather heavy weather conditions. For example,
although Business Education Matters (BEM) delivered the industry visits and cascades and liaised
with all employers and schools as contracted, delays occurred due to difficulties in ascertaining the
correct contacts in schools and most importantly due to unforeseen factors leading to cancellations
such as Ofsted inspections. Activity planned for December did also suffer from conflicting school
commitments e.g. one had to get a bid in for Studio School status to a tight deadline and there was
feedback from the Muslim community from one of the schools for whom the timing was
inappropriate. Progress with the school involvement and commitment has been slower than
7
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
anticipated due mainly to other curricula activities conflicting with the visit during festive season.
2.5
Thus, one of the two Girls’ Conferences and 4 employer visits were deferred to Stage 2.
2.6
Nevertheless, the Girls’ Conference event on 19th December in Bridgend was very successfully
delivered, being attended by over 60 girls, teachers and parents. Notably, Jeff Cuthbert, the
Deputy Minister for Skills at the Welsh Government, delivered a speech indicating the endorsement
of EIF activity in Wales. The West Yorkshire event was also confirmed during this stage for 7th March
2013 in Bradford (and so has been scheduled for Investment Stage 2). A few things need to be noted:
2.7
5

4 employers attended the conference against an original target of 10. It was originally
envisaged that employers would attend the conferences to engage with girls and promote
their industry. Employer feedback has been that this approach would be too resource
intensive for them for that time of the year (i.e. prior to Christmas). (It is also worth noting
that two employer unconscious bias training events have been postponed due to employers
being unable to attend in the busy run up to the long Christmas break. Both have been
rearranged in 2013 for 31st January in Bridgend and 6th February in Melton Mowbray, and the
West Yorkshire event is planned for 13th February in Bradford).

Two employer visits and their associated cascade activities were completed during this Stage
(1 in East Midlands and 1 in South Wales) involving 22 girls visiting employers and 1775 girls
being engaged in cascade sessions. Feedback from employers, schools and in particular girls
engaged in the visits was positive. For example, as the following comments before and after
one of the visits indicate, there has been some significant ‘change in perceptions’:
Pre-Visit Perceptions
Post-Visit Views
Low pay
You can have a high salary if you have more skills
Lots of people are needed for each
process
There is a lot of organisation and planning is needed to produce the
products
It’s not a pretty, attractive or inviting
place to work
The employees all really liked their jobs and found that it was a good
working environment in a trustworthy company.
It could be dangerous
The factory is very safe with easy to follow exit routes and lots of
health and safety signs.
It doesn’t seem very creative
There is room for creativity, especially in the design area of the
company. Industry is not as repetitive as we first thought and is
actually constantly changing.
Machinery is complicated to use
The process is a lot more complicated and technical than first
thought.
It’s a stereotypical male
environment
It is not as male dominated as we first thought with 65% of
employees being male and 35% being female.
You can learn on the job
Through working in industry you are constantly gaining new skills and
qualifications in a range of topics (such as people skills).
You can only get an apprenticeship
There is a massive range of jobs from working in offices to working in
the floor.
Factories are dirty and messy
The factory is much cleaner than we first thought.
Not surprisingly, therefore, that, against a total target of ’40 girls requesting work experience’ from
6 activities, there were already 41 girls requesting work experience from only 2 visits.
This figure was overstated by 10 in the Stage 1 report.
8
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
2.8
2.9
In other activities:

A webpage on the TAS website has been set up - www.the-tas.com/wisapp.

9 applications for the Higher Apprenticeship Grants were processed for 6 organisations and 1
apprentice started, with all 6 organisations being new to the TAS.

A range of promotional information on the project has been produced including an e-shot
campaign sent in November 2012, as well as an informative parents leaflet and teachers pack.
Messages are sent out through TAS Twitter and Facebook.
Any delayed or cancelled activities during this Stage were scheduled for Stage 2 of the project, as
shown in Figure 5 i.e. targets appearing not to have been met during Stage 1, were rolled onto
Stage 2 of the investment plan.
Figure 5: Performance against targets: Investment Stage 2 - Project Delivery
Investment Stage 2
January – March 2013
10 employers undergoing
unconscious bias training
Carry out regional activity in the
form of 3 employer school
interventions reaching 30 girls
through in-depth experience, 335
through cascade and resulting in
20 girls requesting work
experience
Deliver 1 x Girl Conference with 10
employers and 15 girls attending
20 “orders” for HA apprentices
received
10 new employers placing an order
through TAS for an HA
900+ parents reached through
information targeting and direct
engagement
Development of good practice
case studies of females and Higher
Apprentices in the workplace for
use across the 4 nations in future
work
End of project external evaluation
report


3 events with 13 employers participating
All activities have been completed during this Stage

2 conferences have taken place during this stage

21 starts and orders during this stage

12 orders were from new employers

1100+ parents leaflets distributed to all girls visiting, cascaded to
and attending 3 conferences


5 case studies covering: Attracting a diverse range of
Apprenticeship applications - a practical workshop for employers;
Deputy Skills Minister at a special conference for women in
science; An industry visit to Norgine Limited by girls in South
Wales; The P2I model and how it has impacted girls perceptions of
industry and Apprenticeships; HA Grants
This document based on desk-based review of background
information and consultations
2.16 Key notable activities during Stage 2 are described below:
 Both conference events were successfully delivered, with 53 girls attending in total against a
target of 30. In West Yorkshire and East Midlands the local representative from the National
9
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
Apprenticeship Service gave informative presentations on the benefits of Apprenticeships and
we had female role model speakers at all three events, outlining their interesting careers.
 Four of the site visits that were due to take place in Stage 1 have now taken place in Stage 2, and
the 3 site visits scheduled for Stage 2 have also successfully taken place in this stage, plus an
extra visit in South Wales. The P2I model of site visits has been particularly successful with a
subsequent cascade to peers back in school being a great success.
 Students visiting a company and being cascaded to have been given a parents leaflet to take
home to inform their parents/ carers. All attendees at the girls’ conferences have also taken
home a leaflet.
 Three employer unconscious bias training events were delivered in Stage 2 (two postponed to
this Stage from previous Stage 1 and one scheduled for Stage 2), as follows:
31st January 2013 in Bridgend – 4 employers, plus Cogent
6th February 2013 in Melton Mowbray – 4 employers, plus WISE & TAS
13th February 2013 in Bradford – 5 employers, plus TAS
 21 orders were put forward for the Higher Apprenticeship Grants for apprentices in Stage 2. Two
of these has been assessed and a further 19 orders are in hand to fully pay out the grant fund of
£30,000.
 12 organisations were new to TAS in Stage 2, and 18 organisations putting forward the orders
were new to TAS Higher Apprentices across the whole project
2.17 Furthermore, it is worth noting that:
 As a result of attending the Bridgend Girls Conference in December 2012, Maesteg
Comprehensive School and Ortha Clinical Diagnostics also requested participation in the
programme.
 Maesteg Comprehensive School have planned dates in April to also cascade to years 7 and 8 girls.
RESPONSES TO INTERIM EVALUATION QUESTIONS
Review of
Have the activities planned as part of the programme and the anticipated
Project
outputs been achieved?
Plan/Milestones
2.12
Figure 6 summarises achivements vs planned outputs for each of the key tasks. As shown by the
Figure, overall, the project has delivered all its key activities and tasks and achieved the vast
majority of its set targets, with some targets exceeded and only one where progress was made.
For example:
 Targets exceeded include girls expressing an interest in work experience, number of new
employers placing orders for Higher Level Apprentices, leaflets distributed and number of
schools engaged.
 Targets delivered as planned include processes involved in the project such as engaging with
stakeholders (BEM and WISE Campaign), training of TAS staff, and participation of girls in indepth experience and numbers of students cascaded to.
 Targets not fully met are those involving engagement with employers i.e. employers trained in
unconscious training. It needs to be recognised that engagement with employers and in
particular SMEs, can be a relatively long process in particular when new types of apprenticeships
10
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
and/or accredited qualifications are involved6, in particular in times of economic and business
challenges and uncertainties.
Figure 6: Achievements vs Planned Outputs
Key Activity/Task
Planned
Achieved
Develop Detailed Project Plan
Develop Marketing and
Communications Plans
Delivered
Delivered
Recruit Project Manager
In place
Establish Stakeholder links
In place
Employer Engagement
Employer School
interventions
9 schools engaged in 3
regions
In place
P2I model to 10 employers partnered with
13 schools/ colleges (144% achievement)
90 girls engaged directly
900+ girls reached through
cascade
89 girls visited
60 girls requesting work
experience
270 girls expressing an interest in work
experience (450% achievement)
Orders for HA apprentices
30 orders in total
30 achieved
(11 new apprentices and 19 orders)
New employers placing
orders for HA apprentices
Employer unconscious bias
training
Conferences
15 new employers
18 new employers (120% delivered)
30 employers trained
13 employers
3 conferences
3 conferences
TAS employer gender bias
training
Social media used for girls
932 girls cascaded
All Staff trained
Messages on Twitter and Facebook
Parent Information targeting
900+
1100+ Parents leaflets distributed to all
girls visiting, cascaded to and attending 3
conferences (122% achievement)
Case Studies
Good Practice Case Studies of
girls and HA
Potentially 5 case studies: Attracting a
diverse range of Apprenticeship applications
- a practical workshop for employers; Deputy
Skills Minister at a special conference for
women in science; An industry visit to
Norgine Limited by girls in South Wales; The
P2I model and how it has impacted girls
perceptions of industry and Apprenticeships;
HA Grants
Successfully Achieved
Progress has been made
Not Achieved
6
Employer
Reference
Group
–
Simplifying
end‐to‐end
apprenticeship
processes
for
employers,
LSIS,
2011
(http://www.lsis.org.uk/sites/www.lsis.org.uk/files/migrated-files/LSIS2011-05-SimplifyingApprenticeshipProcesses.pdf) and Engaging Employers
and Solutions, House of Commons, November 2012.
11
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
Feedback from girls/parents
Feedback/What worked well/less?
2.13 The feedback from the girls participating has been extremely positive in all events, as their
comments below indicate. Further evidence is attached to the Investment Stages reports.
Comments from year 10 P2I students:
“I learnt more about jobs in industry and how industry works than I expected.”
“I was surprised that there were so many top positions filled by women.”
“I found that working with year 12 students was beneficial, as they were more comfortable asking
questions. Although initially I had been nervous, and I did not want to join in.”
“Working with other girls in my year was good, some of the girls I had never spoken to before and I
didn’t know them.”
“I have now changed my future plans and am considering apprenticeships or a career in industry.”
“I have learnt about the positives of working in industry, and I have changed my ideas about what
‘industry’ means. It’s not dirty, smelly, greasy or necessarily hard physical work, but something that is
open for anyone with the right skills and attributes.”
Comments from year 12 P2I students:
“I have learnt that there are many more possible roles for women in industry than I had thought.”
“The career paths of some of the women we spoke to were quite varied, and it has made me think that
there are many possible ways into industry. The idea of a modern apprenticeship is quite appealing to
me.”
“I enjoyed the trip round Norgine immensely and have now approached them for work experience. I
hope that this comes off as I wish to get into the medical industry when I have finished my education.”
“Giving a presentation to year 10 was quite nerve-wracking, but as a group we managed to do this. I
think that this was a good experience to have.”
“I think that the site visit and presentation were good. I liked the fact that there were so many women
involved in key areas. I had always written off industry as a career, but now I can see that there are so
many different roles within a large company there is a suitable position for anyone.”
2.14 Based on the conversations with the Project Manager and the BEM and WISE teams, we would point
out that one additional element that seems to have worked particularly well as a result of this
process is the preparation stage of cascading back to other girls in the schools following the visits
and conferences; during this stage students work together to identify messages, summarise
information and produce and give a presentation to a relatively ‘difficult’ audience i.e. their peers.
2.15 One of the original outcomes of the project was to achieve changes in parent’s knowledge of a
STEM apprenticeship as a career option for girls. This was achieved through the leaflets that were
handed to parents. However, it was decided that it was more feasible and appropriate to measure
the change in perceptions of the girls themselves who took part in the project through the P2I
model.
Feedback from Schools
Feedback/What worked well/less?
2.16 Feedback from teachers was as their quotes indicate below (extracted from the BEM feedback
reports):
12
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
“I think that the students gained a huge amount from the day, interacting with adults learning about
the industry and being given the chance to be in an adult environment. All the girls felt that the trip
dispelled the ideas that they had about apprenticeships but also the engineering industry.
The links that it has forged for the college is great and helps us to be seen to be proactive in helping our
students gain skills in the world of work.
These events have always been a benefit to not only the college but more importantly the students. It
supports our ethos of giving our students the chance to see how what they learn translate into the
world of work.” Jo Winterbourne, Work related Learning, Enterprise and Careers Coordinator.
‘I think that the whole programme was inspiring, especially for those who got to visit the site and give
the cascade session. It was clear to me that their initial perceptions of ‘industry’ and ‘women in
industry’ were very 1970s, but after the sessions their opinions were very different. In fact, some
students have had a re-think about their futures based on the experiences they had.
At the cascade session there was a good response from the other girls in year 10. Many have re-thought
about their future career paths. On the whole, they showed an interest in what the P2I girls had to say.
On the strength of this presentation and the feelings towards industry generated by the girls, about 20
girls went to Bridgend for the ‘Exciting Careers for Girls in Science’ event, which continued to spark
interest in apprenticeships and careers in industry. In fact two year eleven students have now opted to
take Physics AS levels in September based on this event, a direct consequence of the P2I initiative’
Steve Pole, Head of Physics, Lewis Girls School
‘The cascade session was a great idea, as the girls presented it themselves. This is a great skill to
develop in school, and a great experience for the girls to have participated in. This was much better
than having a member of staff or other adult from outside the school. The year 10 girls listened with
interest to their peers and consequently seemed to take more on board.
We would be interested in doing something like this again if the opportunity arose. Anything that raises
STEM as a career opportunity is good for Science, good for the school and, most importantly, good for
the girls.’ Mrs Sherriff, Head of Science, Lewis Girls School
‘We have nothing but praise for the project, and the girls got a lot out of it’. Anthony Bebb, Head of
Science, Dwr Y Felin School
‘The pupils from King James’s School clearly enjoyed the event, and I think working with the year 12
girls was an excellent way of developing the year 10 pupils’ skills. The programme has clearly changed
our girls’ perceptions of industry for the better, which will hopefully lead to many of them pursuing a
career in industry.’ Dr Anthony Hoyle, Second in Physics Department, King James’s School
2.17 However, as implied in paragraph 2.4 of this section, the whole process could be labour intensive for
a school given resources and time required for the preparation of the events in particular in busy and
exam times.
Feedback from Employers
Feedback/What worked well/less?
2.18 Feedback from the employers have also be positive. Overall, the participating employers thought of
the programme to be a success and demonstrates significant direct employer contribution.
“We certainly enjoyed hosting the visit, touring the facility and fielding the questions. I’m sure that the
students will gain from their visit and hope they leave with a very positive image of both the industry
and Norgine as a local employer.” David Strickland, UK Learning & Development Business
Partner, Norgine Ltd.
13
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
“We found the visit very enjoyable with plenty of interaction from the students. There had clearly been
a considerable amount of preparatory work before the visit and this was evidenced by the questions
being asked and the interest being shown. Overall, a very well organised and worthwhile visit.” Gillian
Doughty, Group HR Manager, RPC Containers.
2.19 It needs, however, to be recognised that engagement of employers has been rather challenging and
not surprisngly so given the short timescale of such a project that requires a relatively longer
introductory and developmental stages e.g. explaining to employers the benefits and impact on
their business, gainign their buy-in and organising the visits.
Feedback from Partner Organisations
Feedback/What worked well/less?
2.20 Both partner organisations are very experienced in this area of work. However, the short timescale
of the project has been challenging for them too, in particular as this has affected key participants
(i.e. both employers and schools) to be fully prepared and plan well ahead for the events.
Employers’ practices put in place
& Review of HA orders
Case studies to capture changes/differences
2.21 Participating employers’ feedback has been very positive, as demonstrated by the comments in
paragraph 2.17 above and the case studies produced. Furthermore, the total estimated in-kind
contribution of £91,313 by employers at the end of the project has exceeded the original target of
£72,900.
PERFORMANCE OVERVIEW
2.22 This Section has presented a range of evidence to show the progress of the WISApp project against
the targets identified in the Investment Agreement and the questions from the Evaluation Plan.
Figure 7 summarises the performance of the project, using a ‘traffic light’ scoring system as follows
Figure 7: Overview of TAS performance to date
Performance area
Review of Project Outputs
Investment Stage 1 criteria
Investment Stage 2 criteria
Feedback from Employers
Feedback from Schools
Feedback from Students
Feedback from Partners
Employers’ practices put in
place
Employers’ contribution – HA
take up/orders
Overview of progress
The vast majority have been achieved as planned. Of 16
targets/outputs, there has been overachievement in 4;
11 were achieved as planned; and in 1 significant
progress was made
Launched WISApp and put appropriate processes in
place. Some delays and postponement for Stage 2.
Significant achievements given that targets set for this
stage of work but also Stage 1 targets had to me met.
Extensive feedback from reports and individual schools.
Most positive
Too early to say at this stage
Employers contribution was exceeded and targets for
HAs were met
14
Performance
rating
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
Red – little or no evidence of progress
Amber – some evidence of progress
Green – strong evidence of progress
Blue – too early to say
VALIDATION OF PERFORMANCE
2.23 WECD has independently verified the evidence presented on the performance of the project to date
through a review of project documentation and discussions with key BEM, WISE and TAS staff. No
schools, students or employers were contacted directly given the relatively high level of interaction
of these groups with BEM and WISE in a relatively short period of time and in order to avoid
‘survey/consultation’ fatigue.
15
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
3. Conclusions and Recommendations
SUMMARY OF PERFORMANCE
3.1
The key aim of this project has been to increase and enhance female students’ awareness and
understanding of apprenticeship training, practical skills and potential careers in the science
industries. In the long term, the impact of such an intervention would be a significant increase in the
number of 16-18 year old female applicants for apprenticeships in England and Wales and
acceleration in the rate of employers recruiting Higher Apprentices (HA) in England.
3.2
The ‘change in perception’ feedback from the female students participating in the project to date
has been extremely positive and implies that the key aim of the project has been achieved:
approximately 1000 more girls studying in England are better informed about potential careers
in science. This has been achieved by directly engaging only 9-10 girls per school, indicating the
significant multiplier effect (estimated at 10.5) that it can be achieved in terms of outcomes by a
relative small intervention, in a relatively short period of time.
3.3
Expressions of interest to work in science-related industries by participating female students have
surpassed targets and expectations – with essentially 1 in 3 students participating in the project
expressing an interest for work experience, indicating that follow up and continuous
reinforcement of the concept would deliver the long-term aspiration i.e. increase the number of 1618 year old female applicants for apprenticeships in England and Wales.
3.4
Employers are key to this success. The project has shown that employers in the sector would be
supportive of a specific apprenticeship scheme to attract female students and potential employees:
targets for starts and orders of Higher Apprenticeships have been met and the in-kind contribution
to the programme by the employers has been exceeded. Furthermore, it is worth noting that nearly
2 in 3 orders placed for Higher Apprenticeships are from organisations that are new to these
apprenticeships.
3.5
It is worth noting that Cogent will be monitoring one more outcomes in the future (as part of the
review of the overall TAS programme):
o
The number of female applicants to TAS to establish whether their applications have increased
from 1 in 5 applicants to 1 in 4 applicants.
LESSONS LEARNED
3.6
Lessons learned from the experiences of the project to date could be summarised as follows:
 Transferability: As discussed above, the multiplier effect of this relatively small project is
relatively high. The method of cascading followed here can be transferred to other projects
involving students and consideration should be given to engaging younger students and pupils.
 Time Frame: The time line of this project has been crucial to the outcome of the results and the
objectives accomplished. Multiple reasons caused postponements or cancellations either to the
employers having pre-organised plans around the Christmas period or the exams the girls had to
take before and shortly after the break. These events were rearranged to stage 2 but this meant
there were more events to fit into a shorter time period than previously planned.
 Employer and School Engagement: A longer period of time is required to engage employers
and organise events that involve busy organisations including both schools and employers. A
couple of issues could be considered in the future:
o The financial incentive set for participating employers (£1000 per apprenticeship) may
sound considerable at individual level. However, it may represent only a small proportion
16
Women into STEM Apprenticeship Programme (WiSApp)
of the costs occurred by an employer involved in this process. Benefits to the employers
and impact on the bottom line of their business (profit/sales/productivity) need to be
clearly articulated and discussed well in advance with them. This preparticipation/engagement process will need to be built into the project timeline.
o More time will need to be allocated to preparatory phases/establishing contacts etc. in
particular among SMEs.
RECOMMENDATIONS
3.7
Drawing from the above, the following recommendations are made:
 Recommendation 1: Pursue Project Transferability and Scalability. This is a highly scalable
project that could have a significant positive impact on the sector, in particular in the light of the
importance of science-based industries for the UK but also the skills gaps identified in key
sectors. The feedback from all the parties involved in this short project (that could be seen as a
pilot) has been largely positive, and this suggests that the project could be transferred to a larger
population/scale including to other sectors.
 Recommendation 2: Consider Delivery Timeline and Timing but also resources required for
organisation of events. All relevant delivery teams are already aware of this issue and systems
have been put in place to address it in the future.
 Recommendation 3: Review the abbreviation used for the programme, i.e. WiSApp, internally
and externally. It prevents easy recognition of the remit and objectives of the project.
17