Here in the UK there has been an unprecedented shrinkage of the education ' market' for goods and services in the last 18 months. Large numbers of companies have folded or drastically reduced. Many training establishments have laid off staff to the point where some buildings are mostly empty for most of the time because there are few calls for their services now. For those who choose to look, there is evidence of a generation of consultants, advisors and content developers retiring. This is unsurprising given many have already been teachers, HOF and then staff at an educationally linked company for many decades. This is starting to affect the abilities of teachers to take on new projects. Often stripped of funds to attend outside training courses, and with the now unsubsidised training agencies asking for full fees, the market for their services is slowing and likely to stagnate further from April 2012.
Does this mean I am packing it all in? Not at all! I saw the changes in the
market some time ago and have been working towards a different consultancy model, one in tune with the growing STEM agenda in schools.
Last week I launched www.stemday.co.uk , a site packed full of new educational projects I have developed that you can buy in class sets of 25.
All the support files, presentations, worksheets etc, teachers notes and learning films are free to buyers.
At a time when teachers cannot get out of the classroom for training, StemDay projects come to you. You can hire my modestly priced and extensively recommended services by the day (£350 + VAT + travel), or you can buy all that concentrated educational goodness in a highly professional package by purchasing kits and downloading the extensive FREE delivery and training resources. For example, a set of 25 GraviCars, powered by a bottle of water, costs just £135 + VAT, including delivery to anywhere on mainland UK.
StemDay project resources make a great INSET activity, guiding you stage by stage through building, tuning and testing the practical activity. Obviously they are also a fantastic focus for faculties working together to deliver STEM
So whether you're new to STEM, looking to run further STEM projects or want to try something new that will transform your teaching, try my kits!
