English STEM Literacy: Construction Jo Byrne & John Byrne S M T E

Topic Developing Technical English Skills for Employment within the Construction Industry Aims  The purpose of this was created to highlight the importance of developing Technical English skills whilst studying Construction based STEM programmes.  The resource demonstrates to teachers why this area of work is important when facilitating STEM Study programmes and how it aligns to the evaluative judgements of the Ofsted Common Inspection Framework.  The resource highlights the importance of supporting learners to develop their Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening skills.  The resource is a useful learning tool as it provides the perspective of a cross college GCSE English co-ordinator and a Construction Manager currently working at Hinkley Point C. Level Level 2 & Level 3 Method Reading material for Teachers/Tutors/Lecturers. Covers the following: English, importance of STEM Literacy, Apprenticeship Requirements, STEM, Improving STEM Literacy and Suggestions. Equipment  Printer, Paper, Notepads Duration

 A little context  Produce something useful for your own programme  Feedback

* Construction Innovation Forum Inspectors will make a judgement on the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by evaluating the extent to which:  Teaching and learning develop English, Mathematics and Functional skills, whilst supporting the achievement of learning goals and career aims.

In 2014, employers ranked verbal skills and being able to communicate confidently as the most significant employability skill.

Communication!

English in the workplace STEM Industry: Nuclear Power  Ultimately we are aiming to prepare our students for work  What are employers expecting?

BAM Nuttall  Graduate engineers and quantity surveyors  Technical Apprentices (engineers, planners and QSs)  Craft Apprentices (carpenters, Steel Fixers)  Operatives

BAM Nuttall  Staff roles (Grads/TA) require the following. We are the muddy boot side of the construction industry, so technical reports are common  Clear spoken communication to provide the workforce with clear instructions, HSE Information, direction on working methods  Written communication to formulate risk assessments that fulfil legal requirements  Written communication to Client on technical queries and requests for information  Written records that will be used to back up applications for payment and in dispute resolution

 All are steered towards professional qualifications so need to formulate technical reports and presentations for formal review. Also documenting progress against a list of formal development objectives.  Even at this stage of HPC, documents may be subject to Regulatory review (Office for Nuclear Regulation) as HS and Quality now and throughout the programme are intrinsic to nuclear safety during the plant’s operation. There is a concept of ‘document hygiene’ where getting SPaG and formatting wrongly create the impression that the work being planned or recorded by a particular document will also be poor with a potential effect on nuclear safety.

 You will need to have GCSE’s (or equivalent) in Maths grade A* - B, and English Language and Science at grade A* - C.

 STEM resources used elsewhere for English include:  Ethical discussions or report on the nuclear industry (environmental, safety and commercial impacts)  Accident investigations using real incidents to evaluate comprehension, identification or problems and solutions  Compilation of method statements for real work to assess ability to describe work clearly and communicate constraints to the workforce.

We achieve this by:  Successfully embedding English/Technical English across the curriculum  Changing perceptions of English amongst students and staff  Upskilling teaching staff  Demonstrating the relevance of English study through contextualised STEM Learning

Resources shared highlighting suggestions:-  A consistent marking method (students mark in red; lecturers in green).  Verbal and written feedback (to include SPaG)  A SPaG poster in each classroom  Peel Mats  SPaG mats (to include subject specific topic words).

For further information please contact The STEM Alliance or visit