Tag: Diversity in STEM

Launching a new toolkit for MAKERS: Repair, Belonging, and Sustainability in Action

Author engineering | Posted on

At UWE Bristol, the MAKERS project – Making And Knowledge Exchange for Repair and Sustainability – has been showing how practical repair and making activities can transform engineering education. Now, we’re excited to share the next step: the launch of the How to Create MAKERS guide and toolkit, designed to help other universities and colleges embed similar approaches in their own student communities.

What is MAKERS?

Delivered by the Science Communication Unit at UWE Bristol and supported by over £115,000 from the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Diversity Impact Programme, MAKERS connects students with local maker and repair communities across the West of England. Through workshops and monthly Repair Cafés, students build hands-on skills, tackle real-world sustainability challenges, and strengthen their sense of belonging in engineering.

The initiative was designed to widen participation in engineering by supporting women and students from Global Majority backgrounds. In its first year, the results have been striking: 32% of regular participants were women – double the UK engineering average – and 77% came from Global Majority backgrounds. Alongside these inclusion outcomes, MAKERS has prevented 248 kg of waste, saved 1.6 tonnes of CO₂, co-developed projects with 17 organisations, and welcomed more than 70 community participants.

“Repair and making are not just about fixing objects – they’re about building communities, confidence, and resilience,” said Dr Laura Fogg-Rogers, Associate Professor for Engineering in Society and MAKERS lead. “Through this initiative, we’re showing how sustainability can be embedded in engineering education while creating more inclusive spaces where every student can thrive.”

Creating MAKERS Spaces

Building on this success, Creating MAKERS Spaces offers a practical guide for other higher and further education institutions to establish their own programmes. The toolkit provides step-by-step advice on:

  • Setting up sustainability and repair projects
  • Designing inclusive learning environments
  • Building meaningful community partnerships
  • Measuring impact and sharing best practice

The aim is to help universities enrich student experience strategies by embedding repair cafés and community workshops, while also supporting wider goals in employability, inclusion, and climate action.

“We’ve seen first-hand the difference it makes when students come together to learn practical skills and connect with their communities,” said Kat Corbett, Project Coordinator for MAKERS. “This guide is about sharing that experience so other institutions can create their own spaces for belonging, sustainability, and hands-on learning.”

Repair in the Community: The Bristol Repair Coalition

MAKERS also coordinates the Bristol Repair Coalition, a city-wide alliance of community groups, social enterprises, universities, and local government. Launched in 2024, with the Repair Acts team, the Coalition supports grassroots repair activity, works with Bristol City Council on integrating repair into waste strategy, and is exploring a Circular Economy Demonstrator for the city. This hub would bring together repair, reuse, and refurbishment to create jobs, training, and a stronger circular economy.

The Coalition has also developed the Bristol Repair, Share and Reuse map, a public tool highlighting cafés, enterprises, and services across the city – making it easier for residents to find repair opportunities and get involved.

Looking Ahead

The launch of the How to Create MAKERS guide marks an important milestone in embedding repair and making in higher education. It is both a practical toolkit and a call to action: to reimagine engineering education as inclusive, hands-on, and connected to the pressing challenges of sustainability.

The legacy of MAKERS lies in producing graduates who are not only technically skilled, but also confident, collaborative, and committed to building a more sustainable future.

You can follow progress on the Engineering Our Future blog or join us at one of our monthly Repair Cafés at UWE Bristol’s Frenchay Campus.

Boosting Female Participation in Degree Apprenticeships

Author engineering | Posted on

UWE Bristol is proud to announce the positive impact of its recent project, supported by funding from the Office for Students (OfS), aimed at increasing female participation in engineering and built environment degree apprenticeships. This initiative is already driving growth and fostering inclusivity in these vital sectors.

The OfS funding supports the following UWE Bristol degree apprenticeship programmes:

A core focus of the project is addressing gender imbalances across engineering and construction. Building on the success of the Women Like Me mentoring and outreach programme, we are thrilled to see a significant rise in female applicants, with women making up 37% of applications in 2024/25, compared to 20% the previous year. We expect that over 30% of new starters in several STEM apprenticeship programmes will be women—far exceeding the national average of 16% female representation in engineering.

Associate Professor Laura Fogg-Rogers, who leads the Women Like Me programme, highlights the importance of role models and mentors:
“It really brings home the saying that ‘You can’t be what you can’t see!’. Mentors in the Women Like Me programme are critical to support young women making their way into male-dominated professions, and feedback shows they make such a difference to career progression. Junior women thriving in apprenticeships are fantastic role models, inspiring the next generation to pursue impactful careers in engineering, property, and construction.”

Employer engagement is another vital aspect of this project. Roundtable events focused on diverse recruitment have drawn interest from a range of businesses, including new participants such as Boeing and Bristol Airport. David Barrett, Director of Apprenticeships at UWE Bristol, emphasizes the collaborative nature of the initiative:
“This project brings together employers and the University to make a real impact on the recruitment of women in STEM apprenticeships. We are already seeing the positive effects of this partnership approach in widening the talent pool and addressing skills gaps in key STEM industries.”

Simon Flenley, Assistant Director of Apprenticeships, notes the growing interest from employers:
“We’ve seen a 58% increase in employer engagement for these programmes from 2023/24 to 2024/25. It’s encouraging to see so many businesses committed to addressing skills shortages while also focusing on diversifying their workforce.”

For more information about this initiative and how it’s shaping the future of STEM apprenticeships click on the links below:

Women Like Me – Projects | UWE Bristol

Higher and degree apprenticeships – Courses and applying | UWE Bristol

Women Like Me Mentoring Programme – Now Open for Second Cohort in 2024!

Author engineering | Posted on

We are excited to announce that our Women Like Me mentoring programme is now open for recruitment for a second cohort in 2024!

Thanks to additional funding from the Office for Students, we’re expanding this successful initiative, offering even more women the chance to benefit from tailored mentoring, support, and development opportunities.

For the past five years, UWE Bristol has proudly run the Women Like Me programme, a mentoring and outreach scheme designed to support women in male-dominated industries. We have already supported more than 300 women, pairing senior women with junior counterparts to foster meaningful mentoring relationships. These connections are strengthened by access to training, networking events, and dedicated mentor guidance.

What’s New in 2024?

This year, we’re introducing some exciting changes to the programme:

  • A Second Cohort: For the first time ever, we’re offering a second cohort of participants in October 2024.
  • Expanded Scope: In addition to supporting women in a variety of industries, we’re now able to widen the breadth of sectors covered by our programme. We’re opening doors to even more professional opportunities, helping women across new fields to grow their careers.
  • Degree Apprentices Welcome: Thanks to the additional funding, we’re excited to welcome degree apprentices into the Women Like Me programme. Apprentices will not only gain valuable mentoring support but will also have the chance to inspire future generations by participating in outreach activities with local schools.

Who Can Take Part?

  • Mentees: We’re inviting degree apprentices* and women with less than five years of industry experience to take part as mentees. This is a fantastic opportunity to receive tailored guidance and support from experienced professionals.
  • Mentors: If you’re a woman with at least five years of professional experience, we encourage you to sign up as a mentor. As a mentor, you’ll receive training and support to help you guide your mentee through the year.

*This programme focuses on the following UWE Bristol degrees:

  • Aerospace Engineer
  • Manufacturing Engineer
  • Civil Engineer
  • Construction Site Manager
  • Building Services Design Engineer
  • Chartered Surveyor
  • Cyber Security
  • Digital and Technology
  • Product Design
  • Electronic Systems
  • Nuclear

How to Get Involved

Whether you’re a mentor ready to share your experience or a mentee looking for guidance in your career, this is your opportunity to be part of an empowering mentoring community. By joining the Women Like Me programme, you’ll gain access to a network of support, tailored training, and the chance to make a real difference—both in your career and in your community.

Don’t miss out! Enrol now on the link below and help us continue to create an inclusive and thriving environment for women in industry.

Women Like Me – Projects | UWE Bristol

Partnership with Easton based Baggator Nexus leads to new community energy project

Author katcorbett | Posted on

Student-led designs for a new heat network serving Barton Hill’s tower blocks are being taken forward by Bristol Energy Cooperative and Baggator Nexus. Over 30 students on the third year Professionalism for Engineers module developed potential solutions for the Heat Network and pitched their ideas back to local residents. These proposals are being taken forward as a potential Community Energy project, called Barton Heat.

UWE Bristol’s School of Engineering have been long-term collaborators with Baggator Nexus, working on several community co-development projects.

Their outreach team have supported several cohorts of young people over the past five years, with STEM learning and engagement activities. These include the West in Minecraft sessions, and Tinkercad 3D design workshops, which were delivered as part of the MAKERS project.

Digital design workshops with children from St Mark’s Road Mosque
Tinkercad workshop at UWE Bristol’s School of Engineering with children from St Mark’s Road Mosque

This collaboration also continues to offer opportunities for Engineering Students to work on live brief projects, providing real world experience where they can contribute towards sustainability goals. This not only provides students with skills for their employability but contributes towards UWE Bristol’s mission as a Civic University with an aim to reach Net Zero by 2030.

A team of students are also currently helping to fix broken traffic and pollution sensors as part of the Royal Academy of Engineering funded project MAKERS, which will be installed on buildings in the area to help improve the air quality for its residents.

Working with Baggator provides a fantastic opportunity to support young people from under-represented groups in STEM, which fulfils UWE Bristol’s aims to diversify the STEM industry.

How the MAKERS project is supporting students to develop hands-on skills and boost employability

Author katcorbett | Posted on

The UWE MAKERS project has been going from strength to strength since it first launched in September last year to help improve belonging for diverse engineering students at UWE Bristol, through developing connections with local Maker and Repair communities in the region.

The project is funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, and aims to support diverse students to continue their careers within engineering. Student feedback has helped the team to develop more employability benefits and direct industry links.

Networking opportunities

During the UWE Repair Café, students now get to work alongside STEM Ambassadors from Industry and Community Volunteers from the Bristol Repair Café Network, many of which are retired engineers themselves. This is a great way to meet and learn from experienced professionals, and connect over hands-on repair, whilst supporting the wider community and the University’s sustainability goals.

Free repair kit to take home

Once students have attended 5 MAKERS events, they can choose between a Hobbycraft Voucher, a Basic Household Repair toolkit, an electronics Device Repair Toolkit, which can be used alongside the freely available IFixIt Repair Guides. This is to enable them to apply their skills and learning at home, acquiring more confidence and practice in doing so.

Digital Skills Badges

MAKERS student volunteers earn digital Skills Badges, which can be used on LinkedIn profile and other social channels to help showcase any relevant skills earned, whilst also enabling badge earners to see job postings requiring those skills.

There are three types of badges: bronze, silver, and gold, depending on the level of involvement in the MAKERS project.

Repair Group and Technician Repair Support

MAKERS students can access technician support and facilities to help grow their repair skills and confidence. This includes the electronic maker space, the 3D printing facilities, and the fitting shop, with all the available tools. There are also a number of sewing machines and an overlocker available to use by those with an interest in textile repair.

Demonstrable Green Skills

The MAKERS project works with the Restart Project to measure their environmental impact, in particular in terms of how much waste has been saved from landfill, and how many CO2 emissions have the saved.

Get involved in MAKERS:

Students who would like to get involved can sign up here.

We particularly encourage women and students from Black, Asian and racially minoritised backgrounds to get in touch!

DETI Inspire Engages Kids with Engineering at South Gloucestershire Libraries

Author joshuawarren | Posted on

This November, DETI Inspire have been heading out to different libraries in South Gloucestershire to deliver sessions to school groups that teach them about the different engineering careers open to them.

The team have been joined by STEM Ambassadors as well as Student Ambassadors from the UWE School of Engineering, who have discussed their engineering work and favourite projects, what inspired them to get into engineering, and their career paths. The kids then have the opportunity to flood the engineers with questions and discover that engineering really could be something for them.

The sessions also aim to break down commonly-held misconceptions of engineering amongst young people, by introducing them to a whole host of different engineering careers, and engineers from diverse backgrounds. Using the DETI Inspire team’s ‘Engineering Curiosity’ cards, which feature 52 real West of England-based engineers that also sent in TikTok style engaging videos about the ups and downs of their job to help inspire the young people. Where young people may believe that engineering isn’t for them, thinking that engineers need expert maths and science skills or are always covered in oil underneath cars; the session seeks to instead highlight skills such as creativity, communication and problem-solving.

In total, the sessions reached 325 Year 6 students from 11 different local schools.

Feedback from the school teachers involved included:
“I think the workshop had great energy and will definitely get the children thinking about engineering, which in turn will get them reading and researching in books and online.”

“An engaging event. Fun, clear presenters. Good use of resources which encouraged the children to read more about different types of engineering jobs. Lots of good knowledge to draw on and changed many perceptions of an engineer’s job/profile.”       

“Very engaging and kept the children focussed. Learning about new engineers work and what they learn about – education, apprenticeships and universities. The event may help children learn more about other engineers and what their work involves.”

To learn more about the work of the DETI Inspire team, and book similar STEM engagement outreach for your school or organisation, please contact engineeringourfuture@uwe.ac.uk or visit https://www.digitaltrailblazers.net/resources to read about the workshops available.

Engaging Children in STEM Through Storytelling

Author engineering | Posted on

After the success of this year’s scientist storytelling program in schools, the DETI Inspire team alongside the West of England STEM Ambassador hub is once again offering the highly requested training session to scientists in the South West.

Training session is taking place on 13th July, 4 – 6pm at UWE’s Frenchay campus.

Once trained, STEM Ambassadors will take specially selected books into schools to read – the books are selected from a collection that features stories with people from minority ethnicity backgrounds, women, and those with a neurodivergent brain having fun with science! These stories, and the real-life scientists reading them enable children to see a more diverse picture of science , helping them to “see themselves” as scientists.

Get Involved

To ensure the continued success of this outreach activity and visit more schools and children, we’re looking for more ambassadors to sign up to the free training session.

If you are already an approved STEM Ambassador, you can view the offer and sign up to the event here:

https://www.stem.org.uk/platform/activity/5e4f397b-df05-4db5-94a2-357bd195851a

If not, you can register interest through the following Eventbrite link:

https://curiousstories.eventbrite.co.uk

We’re running the training as a hybrid event, with Zoom as an option if you can’t make it in, however, we highly recommend you join us face-to-face on the 13th of July  at UWE Bristol.

The session will last approximately 2 hours and will be led by an experienced primary educator (Jane Carter from UWE’s Education unit) who will teach  you how to present fantastic stereotype-challenging stories to children. And you’ll get a chance to have a go! Readings in schools will take place during the new school year (September 2022 onwards) and also during Bristol’s Storytale Festival in October halfterm.

Local Schools Take on Sustainable Transport Challenge

Author engineering | Posted on

School children from across the West of England came to UWE Bristol recently to share their sustainable transport designs with engineers and peers over a day full of fun and engaging activities.

Alongside the team from Graphic Science, the students designed in school vehicles that could cross both water and land, travel hundreds of miles, and sustainably achieve this feat. They were then invited to display their vehicles in the Engineering Building at UWE Frenchay Campus where they showed off detailed models and articulated how their journey could be achieved with as minimal waste as possible.

Students showing off their sustainable transport design.

After presenting their designs to their peers and members of the Engineering department at UWE, Students enjoyed an inspiring talk from a member of the Bristol Gulls team, Sarah Hunt, who rowed 3000 miles across the Atlantic in an Eco Ocean rowing boat built to have minimal impact on the environment. This was particularly popular with the children as they could see a real-life example of what they designed themselves, ask plenty of questions, and watch their teachers try the dehydrated curry and rice pudding enjoyed by the Gulls during their 47-day journey!

Additional events included an immersive mobile-planetarium show, “Engineering Our Future” made in collaboration with Explorer Dome, a sustainability tour of the award-winning Engineering building by the UWE Frenchay groundskeeper, and a Minecraft sustainable transport challenge led by the Digital Engineering Technology and Innovation (DETI) Inspire team, tasking students to digitally engineer new ways to cross the Bristol Harbour in a scale recreation of the S.S. Great Britain area.”

UWE Bristol professor wins prestigious engineering award

Author anabristow | Posted on

UWE Bristol’s Head of Engineering Design and Mathematics has been recognised for her work to increase diversity in engineering.

Professor Lisa Brodie collected an Enginuity Skills Awards at a ceremony in London, seeing off competition from two shortlisted entrants in the Diversity in Engineering category.

The award recognises organisations, individuals or a team that has delivered a specific scheme, project, or initiative, that significantly contributes to shifting the dial of equality, diversity, and inclusion within the engineering and manufacturing industries.

Professor Brodie has overseen the development of the new School of Engineering building to ensure it has been designed with neurodiverse students in mind. The facility was co-designed in conjunction with a new engineering curriculum, to create a supportive environment for students from under-represented backgrounds. The building is equipped with individual study spaces designed to support students with sensory issues, such as people with autism who can benefit from features including white noise bubble tubes and adjustable, muted lighting.

In addition, Professor Brodie leads the Digital Engineering Technology and Innovation (DETI) Skills programme, which aims to improve diversity in recruitment into STEM industries (particularly engineering) while also enhancing retention of skilled engineers in the industry.

The Inspire programme has had particular success, reaching over 7,000 children in the South West so far. Some 42 per cent of the schools participating in face-to-face activities have been from the most deprived 20% of the country. The children have been exposed to innovative engineering workshops that connect them with real-life, diverse engineering role models to widen participation and aspirations for STEM careers.

Professor Brodie said: “It’s just phenomenal to get this award. I’m really excited and proud. We’ve been working hard at the university to really make a change in engineering, particularly around autism and engineers and diversity. We need different minds. If we don’t have a diversity of minds, then we’re not going to get all the solutions we need.”

Tod Burton, Deputy Dean for the Faculty of Environment and Technology, said: “We are all very proud of Professor Brodie and the work her team have tirelessly carried out developing an inclusive Engineering community here at UWE. This prestigious award from Enginuity justly recognises her efforts and the influence Lisa is having across the sector – a true reflection of UWE values.”

This blog was first published by the UWE Bristol comms team, for more of the latest news visit https://www.uwe.ac.uk/news

New round of peer mentoring and outreach project, Women Like Me, for 2022

Author anabristow | Posted on

Women Like Me is a peer mentoring and outreach project, aimed at boosting female representation in engineering.

How does it work?

Women Like Me pairs senior women engineers with junior women engineers to undertake mentoring and engineering education outreach in the Bristol and Bath area. Engineering is a creative, socially conscious, and collaborative discipline, and this project aims to support girls and women to make a difference in society.

Why is this important?

Only 12% of engineers in the UK are women. In order to support female engineers, more girls need to connect with engineering as a career, with positive female role models, and more women need to be supported to make a difference in the workplace.

Women Like Me is addressing this by pairing together women engineers to provide career and public engagement mentoring. Participating engineers deliver engineering engagement activities in local schools and at local public events, providing positive role models for young girls. Through this approach, the project will lead to impact both in the workplace today, and for the future of the engineering profession.

Who can take part?

Mid-career and early career female engineers working in the Bristol and Bath area can get involved in the project. Senior women engineers are those who have been working in engineering for at least five years. Junior women engineers are those with less experience than this, and can include apprentices, trainees, undergraduate and postgraduate students and postdoctoral researchers.

What will it involve?

We will offer networking opportunities to all participants at the start (spring 2022) and end (winter 2022) of the project. We have an online training session planned for February, followed by an in-person networking event in March which will take place at UWE Bristol’s School of Engineering.

Senior engineers will receive support in mentoring and should meet with their junior engineer mentee at least twice during the project. This can take any form that best suits each pair.

Junior engineers will receive mentoring support from senior engineers and training in public engagement. They will then undertake at least three engineering outreach activities with local schools and public events. Coordination of activity is provided and supported by UWE.

Upcoming outreach activities include STEM workshops for schools and community groups, opportunities to get involved with regional competitions and celebration days such as the ‘If you were an engineer what would you do?’ competition by Primary Engineer, The Lego League, and the Great Science Share for Schools.

  • Minecraft engineering school sessions
  • Community STEM clubs
  • Engineering & Sustainability Summit at We The Curious
Examples of outreach activities that took part during 2021

How do I sign up?

To take part in the project this year, interested participants should complete the appropriate online survey:

Senior Engineers (over 5 years experience) please complete this survey

Junior Engineers (less than 5 years experience) please complete this survey

The project coordinators will then be in touch having allocated the mentor/mentee pairs.

Want some more info?

This project was first launched in 2018 and is based in the Science Communication Unit and School of Engineering at UWE Bristol. The project is organised by Dr Laura Hobbs with support from Ana Bristow and Dr Louisa Cockbill, and was initiated by Dr Laura Fogg Rogers. It is supported by the initiative for Digital Engineering Technology & Innovation (DETI).

You can read about the successes of the project in previous years and access the 2018-2019 project report. A paper in the Journal of Science Communication, Fogg-Rogers and Hobbs (2019) places Women Like Me in the context of recruitment and retention of women in engineering.

For any further information please email engineeringourfuture@uwe.ac.uk or follow us on Twitter for updates.

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