Running Young STEM Leader remotely

Yes! The programme is now available to be delivered at Curriculum for Excellence Second, Third and Fourth Levels (YSL2, YSL3 and YSL4) and SCQF Levels 5 and 6 (YSL5 and YSL6). The SCQF Level 4 award is in development. All of the resources can be accessed and Logs can be completed using the online platform.

You can continue to communicate with your YSLs face-to-face, via platforms such as Teams or Google Classroom or on the YSLP Members Website. You can also share files (e.g. the Log) online or by post if available. You may wish to participate in digital delivery, or work with YSLs to devise certain aspects. The YSLP can be completed entirely online using our new members website. Get in touch if you have more questions surrounding this and we can support where possible.

Many YSLs are now in a position in which they are unable to complete their intended activities, events or interactions as planned. In fact, many YSLs changed their intended delivery before centre closures. This shows their flexibility, ability to reflect and rescope, three key skills and qualities of good leaders! We support any opportunity to adapt existing plans or create new ones to be delivered at home with a household or online audience or indeed delivered remotely from classroom to classrom. As Tutor Assessors you will know your cohort of YSLs best, so please discuss what’s best for them. For example, if a Young STEM Leader had planned to run a coding club and is now supporting a sibling at home with their learning that is welcome. Perhaps a group of YSLs were set to run an engineering challenge in their community group but are now collaborating online to produce a STEM blog, or a group of primary school YSLs create resources that can be safely delivered to nursery classes. YSLs can deliver to their peers, families with live or recorded video sessions, activity packs, "cookalong" activities, virtual clubs and more - we hope to be as flexible as possible.

Many STEM organisations have published online materials and opportunities for people of all ages to get involved. Once again, centre closures won’t get in the way of STEM learning! There are many ways YSLs can lead activities, events or interactions and this is a great opportunity to try something new, such as: Lead a STEM activity, event or interaction with members of their household Share your STEM skills with older or younger family members, helping them learn something new Deliver an online activity that participants can do from home or their classroom Writing a blog or article for your school/centre website or social media account Making videos demonstrating an activity, event or interaction such as STEM hacks, gaming tips or a science experiment Any other ideas of your own – be creative! Please do not complete any activities, events or interactions that put anyone at risk and ensure that all healthy and safety guidance is followed. YSLs should seek the permission and support of parents, carers and/or Tutor Assessors before beginning.

Young STEM Leaders can access their Logs on the online platform or by completing a printed copy. We encourage Young STEM Leaders to use other media - like photos, videos, audio files, websites and blogs - instead of or in addition to writing in their Logs. If they don't have Logs at home, they can record evidence in another way and insert it into their Log at a later date. For Tutor Assessors: To create an account for a Young STEM Leader, navigate to "Add a new Young STEM Leader" on the Tutor Assessor Dashboard. You can then fill in the Young STEM Leader's details or share the joining link and they can complete the form independently. To access the dashboard, click Log in at the top right of this website. If you have limited digital provision or are unable to print the Logs at school we can send printed copies to you by post. Get in touch at youngstemleader@sserc.scot if you are having any issues.

You should be able to download all supporting documents from the Resources section on the members area of the website.

We understand that this is a challenging time and some centres, Tutor Assessors and Young STEM Leaders may be unable to continue with Young STEM Leader in their current situation. This is absolutely fine; there is no time limit on achieving the award at any level. Just pick up from where you left off when you feel ready to. As always, get in touch if we can support you in any way.

Yes, certification happens digitally after you have completed internal verification. Once IV is complete, email us at youngstemleader@sserc.scot and we'll let you know the next steps.

Yes, issuing YSLP awards must always be subject to robust quality assurance and verification. Many centres have successfully completed internal verification since centre closures as all the documents are easy to share digitally. When young people have completed their Log, ask your internal verifier to review the sample batch as normal. For formal levels, the observation can take place digitally. Then, complete the IV1 form or Declaration Form as appropriate and let us know. We can then certificate the young people as normal. Full guidance on the quality assurance and certification process can be found in the policy documents.

Yes! Whether you are an aspiring Young STEM Leader or looking to become a trained Tutor Assessor there are many ways you can get involved. We aim to recruit lots more pilot centres in the coming months. For young people and staff in centres who are not yet involved with the programme, you can still introduce yourself to the programme. Aspiring Tutor Assessors To learn more about the programme you can find information on our website. Book yourself on to a two hour training session to start delivering the awards in your centre. Aspiring Young STEM Leaders To become a Young STEM Leader you will need to be registered by your Tutor Assessor. This may be a teacher in your school, a youth or community worker or another adult in a group or club you are part of. To get started, think about the following questions: What are the skills and qualities of good leaders and positive role models? Why is STEM so important and how do we benefit from it? Can I create a STEM activity, event or interaction to deliver in my home or online that will engage people in STEM and help them learn something new? If you think you can produce something engaging and exciting that others will benefit from then you are already at the start of your journey.

Our Tutor Assessor Training sessions are bookable now on the Events page.

Yes - we have a number of online events including training, drop-in sessions and webinars. Head over to our Events page for more information.

If you have any further questions or would like to chat to one of the Young STEM Leader Team, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.