London is a great place to be if you are interested in STEM. STEM (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is increasingly being used as a reference to anything technology based. If you have youngsters who are interested in getting into STEM, London is filled to the brim with activities, clubs and courses.
Coding for kids in London has never been easier or more popular. A good place to start is at an after school club. These are widely available and filled with enthusiastic and interested pupils who want to learn more and experiment with new and exciting ideas. Learning with students your own age is a great way to be introduced to new material while socialising and building friendships at the same time. Codeclub.org is an initiative that helps set up and run coding clubs around the UK. Primarily aimed at the 9-13 age range they provide content and material to help youngsters learn to code.
A summer school or holiday course is slightly more intensive than a coding club but can give you a good platform to not only improve your coding, but also experiment with other, perhaps more practical STEM activities like electronics or AI and robotics. London is a hotspot for STEM summer camps. There are plenty of different options available and you can study pretty much anything you are interested in. In London we w great facilities and an unparalleled location, with easy access.
For school age students a new option has recently opened up for STEM learning. University Technical Colleges (UTCs) are a new initiative introduced by the government in 2010 to try and encourage more vocational learning among children. Unlike most secondary schools, UTCs take children from the age of 14 and focus their education on technological and scientific studies. They are being built with links to universities and businesses, and aim to provide a direct pathway for students into industry. The UTCs are concentrated in areas with high demand for these types of skills. London is a great place to be to access these facilities. There are in fact 10 UTCs located inside the M25 owing to massive demand for industry workers in this area. The scheme has had teething troubles but things are improving rapidly. In 2015 UTC Reading, where we will be running our courses, was the first UTC to be given a rating of Outstanding by Ofsted. In July this year a second UTC, Energy Coast has also been rated as Outstanding.
STEM courses are increasingly popular at universities. If you have a child who is starting to look at what course they will study, STEM is likely to be in the mix. The prospects in London for STEM graduates are exceptional. London and partners ran a study that predicts the number of tech firms in the city will increase by another third by 2026 reaching 61,000. In the rest of the world, the US department of commerce estimates that STEM occupations are growing at a rate of 17% compared to non-STEM jobs at around 10%. Looking at these stats it is clear that STEM is the future of the job market.
London has some of the top universities when it comes to STEM courses. Imperial College London is a university which has a world-renowned focus on STEM subjects. In the Complete University Guide, Imperial College was ranked 3rd in Computer Science and 2nd in Mechanical Engineering. Imperial is well regarded worldwide as a strong university for tech-based courses. University College London (UCL) and King's College are also very strong when it comes to the STEM courses and have very good track records and locations in central London.
For someone looking to set up a STEM company, London is a great place to be and continues to attract thousands of startups even though it is already full of tech companies! This intertwined ecosystem of companies and related industries feeds off each other and attracts yet more budding entrepreneurs to start up. There is also a good network of government funding available in London. Tech.london for example is a scheme where startups aim to provide solutions to some of London’s current issues. If a company wins the contract they can receive up to £40,000 to implement the project. An example of a current challenge is ‘Countering Violent Extremism Online’. Another London tech startup that we follow with interest is Tech Will Save Us. This company produces kits to help encourage young people get into tech. As you can see from these examples - tech is the way forward and there is no excuse at all not to get involved!
If your child wants to get involved in coding but you are not sure where to start, check out our coding courses in London and other locations. Our courses are suitable for everyone from complete beginners to those with more experience.
