We are committed to strengthening science and engineering skills within the UK workforce. We seek to achieve this by devising and enabling innovative proof-of-principle programmes, encouraging partnerships and informing national education policy.
We currently concentrate our resources on the four focus areas below where we feel that Gatsby, working independently or with other organisations, can make a significant and sustainable difference.
For up-to-date news of our work you can follow us on Twitter: @GatsbyEd, visit our Education Latest section, or sign up for our Technical Education newsletter.
In late 2015 David Sainsbury was asked by government to chair a panel of experts that would provide clear recommendations for measures that would not only improve, but transform, technical education in England. The panel’s report was published alongside the government’s Post-16 Skills Plan in July 2016.
Technicians are the linchpins of the UK economy. They are skilled people who use their science, engineering or technology knowledge to identify and solve practical problems. They are the electricians and plumbers that we all rely on, but they are also crucial to the success of many of our country’s future-growth areas, including the aerospace, chemical, digital, engineering, and manufacturing industries.
Every young person needs good career guidance to make informed decisions about their future. Good career guidance is a necessity for social mobility: those young people without significant social capital or home support to draw upon have the most to gain from a strong career guidance system.
Once in secondary education, exposure to effective science and maths teaching delivered by teachers that are knowledgeable and passionate about their subject can be transformative. That is why we care about the supply and training of specialist teachers in these subjects.
