Community Learning and Development Device Fund 2022 (360G-SCVO-a133z00000LReuHAAT)

In 2020 the unemployment rate of 16-24’s in Angus rose to 15.7%, up from 8.4% in 2019, significantly higher than the Scottish average. In Angus we have high numbers of unemployed young people and even higher numbers in poor quality employment as a result of underachievement’s during school years, over twice the Scottish average of full-time employees in Angus are earning less than the living wage. The current cost of living crisis is making things extremely difficult for the disproportionately high number of low earning young people and families in our area. We are creating more opportunities for the high proportion of young people in Angus who are falling behind in education, struggling to enter employment, experiencing inopportunity and are under-supported in their effort to overcome these circumstances. Our work places these individuals in a position where they can work towards reaching more positive goals. Our activity helps them develop new skills, interests and earn qualifications that are relevant to local employment, enterprise opportunities or further education courses. On the whole there is a great need for increased investment in these areas and we currently looking for that investment so that we can provide our students with the most up to date and relevant technologies to support their education. The educational outcomes to be obtained from the equipment we wish to purchase aligns with specific skill deficits as identified by the SDS regional skills assessment for Tayside area. The new equipment will support teaching a wide range of STEM based activity including 3D Computer Aided Design and Manufacture, 3D scanning, IT, Robotics, coding and Digital Manufacture using 3D printers and 2D laser cutters. We keep our workshops interesting and engaging with team activities, competitions and set up role play jobs that reflect local industry, working with our industry mentors and STEM ambassadors. This enables participants to develop their skills, acquire additional accreditation on top of what they achieve in school and gain valuable employability skills as they go. The Virtual Reality (VR) equipment will transform our project space into a virtual and augmented reality workshop, using VR headsets to transport our young people to places across the globe (and beyond!) and give them a ‘next to real’ STEM experience that they would not otherwise have the opportunity to explore. The “ClassVR” headset is a ground breaking new technology designed to help raise engagement and increase knowledge retention for students of all ages.Typical experiences include:• VR Tours of museums with augmented reality hyperlinks to data on the viewedartefacts• VR tours to the pyramids , Eiffel tour and other landmarks• Factory tour of cape canaveral , the moon and Mars!• Tours of modern technology like wind turbines and engines looking at how they work.• Looking at machining processes like wood turning and welding to enhance craft skillsThe equipment will be used 3 afternoons per week (after school) and will be used for 40 week of the year. The impact of Covid-19 has reinforced the need to introduce more disadvantaged young people to the opportunities that a STEM education can provide. The recovery of the Angus economy will likely be a long, transformational process, particularly as Angus is an area comprised of many already struggling rural businesses. Industry that was declining prior to the pandemic has far less chance of making a full recovery post pandemic. Businesses, traditional practices and work environments are disappearing, more people are working from home, reliance on technologies is increasing, there will be greater need to develop new technologies to keep up with the changes and a greater need to prepare future workers to become efficient in using these technologies. Careers in STEM are growing at a rate far higher than the average industry, a trend inversely correlating the decline in “traditional” rural employment. Gross weekly pay for full-time workers in Angus is significantly less than the Scottish average whilst STEM workers earn on average 26% more than those without a STEM background. Not enough is being done to steer more young people in our area towards these subjects and we believe that is a significant shortcoming in the effort to lead these disadvantaged youngsters toward more positive destinations. The equipment we wish to purchase will help us to do just that and as a result we will be able to provide disadvantaged young people in our community a fair chance at success.