b'Member News November 2019 17Inspiring future engineersPolicy Panel hosts discussionsElton School in Somerset, explained the importance of engaging young people through having them tackle on improving STEM education real-world problems and hands-on practical science that include the local and wider communities.Our Education and Skills PolicyProfessor John Perkins CBE FIET hosted Panel hosted an event in Julya panel session where experts discussed to discuss how government,the importance of getting children educators and industry can provideexcited and ensuring headteachers are backing new ideas related to an an engaging STEM educationever-developing engineering and for all young people in the UK.technology industry. Sir Kevan Collins pointed out that links should be Taking place at IET London: Savoymade with other subjects to illustrate Place, the Supporting STEM Learningthe societal side of engineering.Through A Balanced Curriculum event included keynote speeches from SirAnother panel session called for better Kevan Collins, Chief Executive of thelinks between industry and schools, to Education Endowment Fund, andprovide young people with more real-Matthew Purves, Deputy Director forworld learning opportunities. Schools at Ofsted. They set the scene,Talks from leaders in education and explaining the changes and challengesindustry highlighted some strategiesLook out for our more detailed report around providing an engineeringfor improving STEM education. Steveon this conference, which is due to be education for 5-19-year-olds.Thurgur, Assistant Headteacher at Marypublished later this year. Upcoming conference to showcase progress in higher educationFollowing on from a successful conference two years ago, the IET and Engineering Professors Council (EPC) are holding a conference on 18 November to showcase changes that have been made to engineering courses in higher education.In May 2017, the IET and ECP hosted a New approaches to engineering higher education conference to bring together leadingFollowing this, we published a New approaches to engineering experts and higher education leaders from across the globe. higher education report, to address these key areas and how we intend to continue developing higher education. The publication The conference focused on what the future of higher educationincluded case study examples of successes in each of the above holds and concluded that improvements need areas (read the report at theiet.org/new-approaches).to be made in the following areas:Our next conference will discuss these new initiatives and incorporating creativitybroadening the diversity forward-thinking degree courses, as we focus on making into engineeringof students engineering degrees better suited to the changing needs of industry engagement ina strong emphasis industry and society.course design and deliveryon project workworkplace experience for greater interdisciplinarity Register for our upcoming New Approaches event at:studentstheiet.org/new-approaches-event'