IBM’s investment in computer access for young children helps understanding of technology among three to six year olds, and boosts their collaborative and creative skills. Independent research published on July 18 found that nurseries using IBM KidSmart computers – designed specifically for use by preschool children – gain significant improvements in every area of the information and communications technology curriculum within one year. Assessment scores doubled compared to pre-intervention and a ‘control’ sample, according to evaluation by London and Cambridge universities’ education departments.
IBM has invested $7.5m in the KidSmart programme over the past three years, donating 6,300 computers to early learning centres in 12 countries, including 125 in the UK. A further 15,000 units will be distributed in the next three years. The company prioritises pre-school nurseries in disadvantaged areas, as part of its commitment to address the digital divide. IBM is also launching a new website to complement the programme, http://www.Kidsmartearlylearning.org, providing resources for parents and teachers to encourage the use of ICT with young children. Contact Hilary Wells, IBM, on 01962 817796 (http://www.ibm.com)
Communications consultancy, Brahm, won the award for small and medium sized enterprises at the BitC Awards for Excellence in July for its work with the Right to Read scheme. This raises literacy standards through one-to-one support for children by volunteers from businesses and the community. Originally launched in Yorkshire and Humber, over 45,000 children in that region alone are now supported by more than 4,500 reading volunteers. Yorkshire Water has over 120 employees signed up to start participating this autumn term. Involvement helps to boost staff motivation and to produce a future generation of literate employees and consumers. The schools benefit from increased children’s reading levels (often by years in a matter of months), improved children’s self-esteem and aspirations, and positive role models from business for children. Contact Natasha Black, Brahm, on 0113 230 4000 (http://www.brahm.com); Anne Reed, Yorkshire Water, on 01274 691111 (http://www.yorkshirewater.com)
GlaxoSmithKline is donating £1m to fund scientific researchers from Imperial College in London to teach in state secondary schools, as part of a government programme to inspire a new generation of scientists. Postdoctoral research scientists from the university will be contracted to spend half their time teaching in London schools that have won specialist status as science or science and engineering colleges. Contact Mark Watkins, GSK, on 020 8047 5000 (http://www.gsk.com)
The Royal Bank of Scotland provided £130,000 worth of support for a university summer school to encourage a wider range of applications from young people in Scotland. Those whose background or financial situation might hold them back were offered an eight to ten week course to get a taste of university life. This is the second summer in a four year £500,000 programme by the Royal Bank. Contact Stephanie Allison, RBOS, on 0131 523 2525 (http://www.rbos.co.uk)
Marsh UK is starting the new school year with renewed support for E-Pals, a communications project that develops literacy and IT skills, while building confidence and offering an insight into the world of work. Marsh employees team up with local pupils and share a weekly email communication for four or five months. The scheme provides positive role models, raises aspirations and broadens horizons. Head teachers report an increase in motivation and self-esteem among pupils – both of which encourage the use of computers for practical ends and the development of written and ICT skills. Contact Chris Price, Marsh, on 0121 633 2800 (http://www.marsh.com)
The government’s comprehensive spending review in July is promising a 6% real term increase in funding over the next three years, but the Chancellor is insisting on greater emphasis on entrepreneurship and links with the business world. Schools will receive extra funding to give every child the chance to spend, on average, five days per year engaging in enterprise. The skills of potential employees are also to be improved – the government aims to reduce by at least 40% the number of adults in the UK workforce lacking NVQ level 2 or equivalent qualifications by 2010. Further education colleges are being encouraged to be more labour market focused and to reflect regional economic needs. Employers are being consulted to find out what incentives business could be offered to invest in adult learning, and to explore how institutions could be encouraged to be more responsive to employer needs. Contact HM Treasury on 020 7270 5188 (http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk)
Barclaycard, Railtrack, Jaguar and Sun Valley Foods are just some of the companies sending staff back to school this autumn, as mentors for head teachers who have increasing responsibility for budgetary control and performance management techniques. Business executives are helping develop key skills in strategic planning, personnel practices and staff motivation. BitC’s Partners in Leadership programme estimates that 4,000 mentors are active in the UK, involving over 1,000 organisations of all sizes. Contact Vicki Steer, BitC, on 0870 600 2482 (http://www.bitc.org.uk)
In July the Personal Finance Education Group welcomed calls by the Sadler investigation for more resources in financial literacy. HSBC, Barclays, Prudential and the investment trust association, AITC, are sponsoring a scheme to give 128,000 children (one in 40 of secondary school pupils) access to personal finance education by the end of 2003, while training 800 teachers and supporting 400 schools. Contact Wendy van den Hende, Pfeg, on 020 7220 1736 (http://www.pfeg.org) ?œ Barclays is investing £500,000 as primary sponsor of the introduction of Citizenship into the national curriculum. The Bank is backing a launch event in association with DfEE on September 27. Contact Tom Curry, DfES, on 020 7925 5721 (http://www.dfes.gov.uk)
More than 1m children are now being taught in specialist schools, comprising over a third of pupils in the maintained secondary sector, the government announced on July 4. Over £70m has been raised in private sponsorship and other funding. Contact DfES on 0870 000 2288 (http://www.dfes.gov.uk)
In a policy paper published on July 22, Education and training: a business blueprint for reform, the Institute of Directors calls for a return to selective schools, a “proper vocational pathway” and the scrapping of targets for half of young people to go on to higher education in favour of post-school vocational training. Contact Ruth Lea, IoD, on 020 7451 3291 (http://www.iod.com)
COMMENT:
With the new school term upon us, companies are more engaged in education than ever. But is all that effort actually achieving results? Apparently, yes.
In case anyone thought the IoD’s recent flirtation with CSR means it has gone soft in the head, some reassurance: apparently we should turn the clock back 40 years to before Mrs Thatcher (as Ted Heath’s education secretary) closed all those grammar schools. You don’t have to agree with that, to wonder if the massive focus on education by both Labour and its Tory predecessors is actually working. Or more precisely, to ask if 20 + years getting business involved has made much difference. Well done, then, IBM for building independent evaluation into its KidSmart programme. This is a great example of a company bringing its specialist knowledge to an issue that mainstream education provision is not addressing – ICT in the very early years. Companies are getting better at measuring immediate outputs for their education support schemes – pupils, teachers, and schools helped, for example. Too few rigorous evaluation studies set out to capture long term impacts. One of the earliest was NatWest Face 2 Face with Finance, but there are still too few. If education/business partnership appears to be working for schools and children, is it working for companies? Business has a direct interest in having a higher skilled, more work-ready labour force. There may be huge skills shortage in IBM’s sector, for example, but it will be 20 years before these kids come into the labour market, so that’s not a business driver for the scheme.
NatWest had a more immediate interest in having financially literate customers only a year or two later, but even that they did not measure. The only proper cost / benefit analysis from the company perspective we’ve seen came from Sweden (of all places) 10 years ago. No one, as far as we know, has attempted a cost / benefit comparison to see if involving companies actually makes more sense than leaving the traditional public sector educationalists to get on with it. The government’s big push to break-up the existing “bog standard” educational system in favour of specialist schools is based more on belief than research. Is that good enough for companies too?
COMMENTS