Science and the Assembly 2018

I’m delighted to have been invited to speak at Science and the Assembly/Gwyddoniaeth a’r Cynulliad 2018, an annual event organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry on behalf of the Welsh science and engineering community, designed to foster close relations with the National Assembly and the Welsh Government.

The theme for this year’s event is Science and Industry in Wales, with a number of excellent speakers across science, engineering, academia, industry, policy and politics. I’m especially delighted to be speaking, as this is my second Science and the Assembly appearance, having spoken about digital skills seven years ago at the 2011 event. This year, I’m part of a panel talking about my role in the significant changes to science and technology education in Wales, as part of the upcoming curriculum reforms:

Rethinking Science & Technology Education in Wales

Wales is embarking on its most significant curriculum reform journey as a nation, following the recommendations of Successful Futures, Professor Graham Donaldson’s 2015 independent review of the curriculum. Amongst a number of changes, this co-constructed curriculum will be led by four key purposes, supported by a number of cross-curricular responsibilities (including digital competencies), and enabled through six “Areas of Learning and Experience” (AoLE). The new Science & Technology AoLE thus brings together the three traditional sciences with computer science and design & technology, framing what we would want young people to know (and be able to do) at the end of their compulsory education. This open and enabling curriculum model, developed and implemented by practitioners at the school level, refreshes and renews the wider STEM agenda; will it provide the required education and skills foundation for the future economic and cultural aspirations of Wales?

Please join us! The 14th annual Science and the Assembly is sponsored by the National Assembly for Wales Cross-Party Group on STEM and takes place in Cardiff Bay on Tuesday 22 May 2018 at the Pierhead Building and the Senedd; free registration online.