careers from maths – tell the kids!
DESCRIPTION
A presentation suggesting that quality media communication around the interesting careers should be available in UK schools to encourage more children to study Maths at A level and beyond.TRANSCRIPT
Careers from Maths – tell the kids!
Steve Greenfield, Independent Consultant• Career:
– Maths degree (Edinburgh)
– Maths teacher
– OR MSc
– Government, British Gas, Cap Gemini, Independent
• OR in Schools (ORiS) task group member
0116 2894451 or 07801 709054
www.greenfieldenterprises.co.uk
Steve Greenfield OR49 September 4th 2007
Talk outline
• Problem – insufficient Maths skills in “UK plc”
• One solution - “Careers from Maths - tell the kids!”
• The vision – a big idea
• Delivering the vision
• My daughter
• Your input.
Careers from Maths – tell the kids!
Steve Greenfield OR49 September 4th 2007
Problem – insufficient Maths skills in “UK plc”
• A level candidates: 67k (1996), 56k (2003), though numbers picking up, recently?
• Even worse for Science? • Declining Supply Chain of Maths Learners• -> “Mathematics Supply Chain”• Clear impact on OR profession• Supply chain problem => an OR problem.
Careers from Maths – tell the kids!
Steve Greenfield OR49 September 4th 2007
Problem – insufficient Maths skills in “UK plc”
Careers from Maths – tell the kids!
Steve Greenfield OR49 September 4th 2007
“Mathematics Supply Chain”
Careers from Maths – tell the kids!
Steve Greenfield OR49 September 4th 2007
% learning/doing Maths
Age0 5 16 18 211411
Supply Chain - Inputs and Outputs• Inputs = Learners (School-kids etc)• Outputs = Doers (Those in “Careers from Maths”)• How to immediately link inputs and outputs?• -> Tell the inputs what the outputs are doing• -> Tell the kids about careers from Maths• (-> And, tell the kids about OR careers)• How?
Careers from Maths – tell the kids!
Steve Greenfield OR49 September 4th 2007
Quality “Careers from Maths” media communication
• How best to tell the kids about careers from Maths?
• -> Make the communication informative, honest and attractive -> Words not enough, nowadays
• -> In competition with “other careers”• -> Quality media communication on “Careers
from Maths” (Video, DVD, web download?)• Potential to reach all children “of the right age”
– E.g. teenagers.
Careers from Maths – tell the kids!
Steve Greenfield OR49 September 4th 2007
The Vision – a big idea
• “Every UK secondary school to have access to quality “Careers from Maths” media communication, that both inform and enthuse children to study Maths a little longer than they might otherwise do.”
• Maths teachers like this vision.• Far too big?• Compares with ORiS vision
– “Every school-kid knows what OR is”– Also “big”, but the OR Community are doing it.
Careers from Maths – tell the kids!
Steve Greenfield OR49 September 4th 2007
Delivering the vision• How to deliver? Don’t know!• Many routes….• E.g. One discipline first, or overall Maths first?
– I.e. via “OR community and outwards” or via the “overall Maths bodies”?
– Tried the latter, haphazardly - no response thus far.
– Why not via us, the OR Community? -> why I’m giving this presentation.
• Possible Models/Approaches
Careers from Maths – tell the kids!
Steve Greenfield OR49 September 4th 2007
Possible Models/Approaches (1)• Government take idea on
– What “we” do needs to be “professional”
• Relevant company sponsorship – Careers in Science card game
• Each career card sponsored by a relevant company
• E.g. Boots sponsored the pharmacist career card
– House of Commons Maths reception• Vodafone, City leaders – passed on attached leaflet
• University take idea on– Similar to ORiS initiative, via Jo?
Careers from Maths – tell the kids!
Steve Greenfield OR49 September 4th 2007
Possible Models/Approaches (2)• Selling the idea via Networking
– Sir Peter Williams (ACME) –> • Gordon Brown (c.f. Government take on)
• Sponsorship – other contacts, write a proposal?
– Prof O’Reilly -> Marcus de Sautoy
– Noel Sharkey (Robot Wars judge) – robotics career clip.
• A combination of the above, via the OR Community?
Careers from Maths – tell the kids!
Steve Greenfield OR49 September 4th 2007
My daughter• Louise
– Aged 14– Academically bright– “Maths is boring, and is irrelevant, Dad”– A good singer, ballet dancer, clarinet player– Wants a career in musicals!– Loves Saturday evening TV…..
• X factor, Strictly come dancing, Dancing on Ice..• All quality media, all very attractive
• No quality media around Maths careers. Need to compete!• Yet is Maths boring? Are careers from Maths boring?
Operational Research careers aren’t!• Your thoughts? (Best one wins a prize!)
Careers from Maths – tell the kids!
Steve Greenfield OR49 September 4th 2007
Careers from Maths – tell the kids!
Steve Greenfield, Independent Consultant• Career:
– Maths degree (Edinburgh)
– Maths teacher
– OR MSc
– Government, British Gas, Cap Gemini, Independent
• OR in Schools (ORiS) task group member
0116 2894451 or 07801 709054
www.greenfieldenterprises.co.uk
Steve Greenfield OR49 September 4th 2007