Siemens' virtual work experience gives young people an edge in STEM

Siemens has overhauled its work experience programme for young people during the pandemic by switching to a virtual delivery platform to allow young people an entry path into STEM fields.

The coronavirus pandemic has ground many office and lab jobs to a halt and many companies have had to switch to virtual platforms in response to the outbreak. Many schools and universities also adapted to the changing climate by offering online tutorage, but this appears to have adverse effects on learner retention.

This comes a few months after the company announced it would be offering upskilling opportunities for its own workforce, to allow them to retrain for newer jobs within the company and industry.

Read more: Siemens steps up industrial network training to plug skills gap

The company claims it has used the challenges presented by the pandemic to "rethink" its work experience strategy and programme offering via its new careers platform while overcoming traditional worker barriers such as geography, mobility, financial concerns and inflexibility due to school or employer timings.

Its first two-week virtual work experience programme in early April introduced 700 young people to the world of engineering and technology.

Partnering with Springpod, a careers platform that connects the digital generation with employers and education providers - essentially an educational cloud counterpart to popular professional social media site LinkedIn - Siemens provides what it described as a "bespoke and interactive" learning experience offering modules filled with activities, pre-recorded videos, quizzes and live webinars.

The company are offering a second wave of work experience for 14 to 18 year-olds set to run between June 28 and July 11.

Brenda Yearsley, the education development manager for Siemens' Britain and Ireland branch said the pandemic has facilitated a change from in-person work and learning opportunities to fill the skills gap currently present within a number of STEM fields.

She described work experience - which is offered by many education outlets - as an "essential step" for young people to drive insight into potential career paths.

She added: “It has been fantastic working with Springpod to deliver a programme which has been able to reach more young people, increase diversity and inclusion, inspire a career in STEM, and showcase Siemens as a career path.

“There has been a huge demand for our programme from all corners of the UK. We are delighted to be able to offer more school and college students the opportunity to learn about what we do at Siemens.”

The programme also offers insights into how Siemens operates as a company - its core values and business pillars.

It also provides detailed pathways for entry into the technology and engineering sectors as well as opportunities to explore other business services available at the company, such as legal, the sustainability drive, marketing and finance.

Read more: Siemens and Google Cloud to deliver AI-based manufacturing solutions

Yearsley also claims the project will allow applicants to become "career ready," by offering courses in "employability skills," CV building and job applications.

The course involved roughly 10 hours of content completed over the two-week period, allowing applicants to fit the activities around their schedules.

Once complete, they earn a certificate, which can be placed on a CV or personal statement, the company claims.

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