£410,000 boost for STEM learning
STEM learning across the West Midlands has been given a major boost after a charitable trust issued £410,000 in grant funding.
Over the last year a total of 34 schools, charities and not-for-profit organisations across the region were given grants of up to £20,000 for training in science, technology, engineering and maths.
The grants, which were handed out by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust, aim to bridge the STEM skills gap in the West Midlands, which has a shortfall of around 173,000 skilled workers.
Improving training in the STEM subjects is widely viewed as a key factor to economic growth in the region.
The trust's 2018-19 grants programme has helped fund new equipment, events and after-school clubs, in a bid to enhance STEM learning and increase the appetite for related careers in the West Midlands.
Abigail Vlahakis, CEO at Millennium Point, said she was delighted that grant recipients were starting to put their money to good use.
“From early child development in schools to business development and community engagement, we are aiming to make a positive, tangible impact across the West Midlands in how STEM is perceived and promoted," she said.
“We are looking forward to working with this year's recipients as they make the most of their grant funding and of course, we are excited to see the results of their work.”
Millennium Point, which is based in Birmingham city centre, invests commercial profits into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth and development of STEM education in the West Midlands.
Notable projects this year include a contribution towards the funding of a week-long STEM festival organised by the Ahead Partnership, and a new STEM room at Trinity High School.
Applications for this year’s grants programme open in December, with details to be announced by Millennium Point over the coming months.
Visit millenniumpoint.org.uk/small-grants or call 0121 202 2200 for details.
