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About the program

STEM Professionals in Schools is a free national volunteer program that creates flexible partnerships between Australian teachers and science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) professionals to provide engaging and relevant STEM learning experiences for students. 

Partnerships are individually matched based on shared interests, needs, and availability. Partners shape their own plans to engage students with STEM learning opportunities to improve enthusiasm for STEM learning, knowledge of STEM applications, and attitudes towards careers in STEM.

All participants are supported by a program team and can access resources, professional development and networking opportunities with like-minded professionals.

The program is supported by the Australian Government Department of Education and delivered by CSIRO.

Partnering to enhance STEM engagement - CSIRO STEM Professionals in Schools

[Teachers and STEM professionals on slides on screen smiling, and sharing skills]

[The CSIRO logo swirls into the centre of the screen]

[Text on screen: STEM Professionals in School]

[A small group of students gathered to look at their hands in an infrared camera]

Jacinta Deylen: STEM Professionals in Schools, it enhances everything that you do in the classroom.

[Text on screen: Partnering to enhance STEM engagement]

[Students stand with Bridget Hosking in a classroom]

Through our STEM partnership we've worked with Bridget Hosking from Air Services Australia

[Jacinta Deylen stands in her classroom being interviewed.]

[Text on screen reads Jacinta Deylen Teacher Santa Maria College]

to work with the Year 10 girls to open their eyes to all the great STEM opportunities that we really can't provide here at school.

[Shots of the countryside]

Sue O'Malley: Shaun Voigt is our STEM professional. and having access to Shaun has meant that

[Sue O'Malley being interview in her classroom, text next to her reads Sue O'Malley Teacher Trinity College]

when they've moved past where I can help them they've got somebody there to stop those log jams of learning.

[Shaun and a small group of students watching as one student handle a remote controller]

[A box shaped robot picks up a coloured ball]

[Andrew leans over to give some students help. On the board there is a geometry problem]

Rebecca Garrett: Andrew comes in and engages the kids in real life maths. Maths is quite abstract.

[Rebecca is sat in her classroom being interviewed. Text beside her reads Rebecca Garrett Teacher Trinity College]

I think that we don't see that connection. So a program like this is fantastic because it really opens those kids up to go wow, Maths actually has more depth.

[Shots of a small town overlooked by mountains]

Ingrid Colman: I think Craig's a great role model for them because they can see what he does is really exciting.

[The camera pans along the back of a classroom as Craig points to something on the board]

[Ingrid Colman is being interviewed in her classroom; text beside her reads Ingrid Colman Teacher Lansdowne Crescent PS]

This gives them real life, hands on opportunities. Science is not just some vague concept. They can see the real life application of it.

[Craig is dissecting a fish to show the students]

[The students groan and one sticks out her tongue as he cuts]

[Barbara stands in front of a projector screen giving a presentation on genome testing]

Travis Gerace: Working with Barbara has most definitely helped me.

[The female students look on as Barbara presents the material]

[Travis sits in his classroom being interviewed. The text beside him reads Travis Gerace Teacher Banksia Park International High School]

Barbara is an accomplished scientist. She's part of the STEM industry, and her work is quite contemporary.

[Barbara is explaining a point to the students as they look on smiling]

So this has allowed me to keep my knowledge up to date as well.

[The camera pans across the top of the screen with the heading Cost per genome sequenced]

What's happening outside of the classroom?

[Students in lab coats watch as one student asks Barbara a question about a piece of lab equipment]

And I can use this to help my students develop their knowledge.

[The shot changes to the outside of a small school]

[Rebecca sits in her classroom to be interviewed with a chalkboard covered in math equations in the background. The text beside her reads Rebecca Geue Teacher St Peter's Lutheran School]

Rebecca Geue: David has this passion of using everyday materials. So they can see that what they have around the home they can use to do really exciting things.

[Three students surround a glass with two pencils that are hooked up to small batteries and suspended in water.]

[An outside shot of a school with a sign reading Main Entrance, and Administration with arrows pointing to the left]

[A Student is putting a small submersible into a large aquarium]

Christopher Boden: Brent is a mechanical engineer for the Australia Submarine Corporation.

[Brent looks on smiling as the student works]

What surprised me was the student's attitude to the program.

[Christopher sits in his classroom being interviewed; the text beside him reads Christopher Boden Teacher St Andrew's School]

[Students work with Brent on soldering small circuit boards]

They did things which I didn’t think that they were capable of.

[A student types commands into a DOS command prompt on a laptop]

[Two students stand beside the laptop smiling as they work with Shaun]

Sue O'Malley: The link with the professional world is subtle, but profound. As a teacher I can teach the kids to code. But I don't know the systems and processes of keeping track of massive projects which is what we're doing. And Shaun brings that for the kids.

[A sticker on the laptop comes into focus and it reads Traveller's Guide New Planet]

Rebecca Garrett: When you see it in the classroom you know when they’re inspired because you

[A student uses a touchscreen to zoom out from a point]

see that ah-ha moment. Year 10 Maths suddenly is actually real world, not something that is just Y equals MX plus C.

[Shaun explains a point to two students who visibly go ah-ha]

Jacinta Daylen: We all have such a great time including myself. It's been enjoyable, intriguing, and eye opening for all of us.

[Students smile in various classrooms as they learn from their teachers and STEM professionals]

[A student makes a presentation of his graphs and charts on a large project]

[Students clap for him]

[A teacher and STEM professional work together to plan their next lesson]

[A teacher smiles]

[The CSIRO logo pops into the centre of the screen, underneath is written Australia's National Science Agency]

[An equation of logos is on the screen with a graduation cap representing teacher, then a plus sign adding it to a STEM professional symbolized by a molecule logo.]

[The equals symbol then connects to a gear logo representing partnership.]

[A circle graph titled Schools with different colours for different percentages on screen, Catholic being 16.3%, Government being 65.8%, Independent/Private being 16.8% and other being 1.1%]

[A map symbolizing national reach with a circle graph to one side. the text under the graph reads "with 29% in regional and remote areas.]

[On the map going clockwise NT 1.5%, QLS 20.8%, NSW 20.9%, ACT 5.9%, TAS 5.2%, VIC 23.9%, SA 8%, WA 13.8%.]

[A graph titled STEM Professionals, the circle graph showing percentages by gender with female at 43.2%, male at 56.6%, and not specified at 0.2%. The text under the graph reads note Female STEM professional representation is significantly higher than the national female STEM qualified population of 17 percent overall asterisk leading to a footnote "from the 2020 program evaluation.]

[Text on centre screen reads The STEM Professionals in Schools project is funded by the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment. At the bottom of the screen is reads The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment.]

[New Screen, test reading STEM Professionals in Schools would like to thank: Bridget Hosking, Air Traffic Controller, Melbourne Airport; Shaun Voigt, software Engineer, DST; Andrew Gill, Mathematician, DST; Craig Proctor, Fisheries Scientist CSIRO; Barbara McClure, Postdoctoral Researcher, SAMHRI; Dr David Bird, Senior Research Scientist, DST; Brenton Binder, Principle Mechanical Engineer ASC]

[New Screen text reading STEM Professionals in Schools would like to thank: Jacinta Deylen and students from Santa Maria College; Sue O'Malley, Rebecca Garrett, and students from Trinity College; Ingrid Coleman and students Lansdowne Crescent Primary School; Travis Gerace and students from Banksia Park International High School, Rebecca Geue and students from St. Peter's Lutheran School; Christopher Boden, St Andrew's School]

[Fade to black]

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The opportunity

Partnerships between teachers and STEM professionals can be an excellent way to improve student engagement with STEM learning and attitudes towards further study or careers in STEM.

The STEM Professionals in Schools program creates partnerships that are customisable in design, meaning partners can decide for themselves when and how they would like to work together. Activities may include:

  • Mentoring
  • Career talks and presentations
  • Hands-on demonstrations
  • Site visits and field trips
  • Online engagement.

The flexible program model means STEM Professionals in Schools can meet the changing needs of an ongoing partnership. Partners expected to collaborate for a learning activity at least once a year (although more interactions are encouraged). It is also possible to have multiple partners, and remote or long-distance partnerships based on online activities and interactions.

A suite of supportive resources and our program team is available ensure you are equipped to make the most of your partnership experience.

Program eligibility

Teachers: The program is freely available to registered teachers and principals working in Australian government or non-government primary and secondary schools from Foundation* to year 12.

Industry STEM professionals:

  • minimum of a bachelor degree in a STEM field
  • evidence** of equivalent experience in a STEM field
  • the ability to obtain and/or provide evidence of the relevant Working with Children/Vulnerable People check and National Police Certificate.

Child Safe Standards

As part of our commitment to child safety, all STEM professionals must agree to comply with CSIRO’s Child Safe Policy and undergo security screening. The program team supports professionals to obtain relevant checks, which can vary by location.

*The Foundation year of school is known as Kindergarten in NSW/ACT, Prep in QLD/ VIC/TAS, Pre-primary in WA, Transition in NT and Reception in SA.

** Evidence may include a letter of endorsement, supervisor support, Curriculum Vitae or similar.

CSIRO Child Safe Policy

How to apply

Use the ‘Apply in our Education Portal' button below to get started:

  1. Sign up and authenticate your account. You will need an active email address and mobile phone/device to complete the process. Our team will communicate with you via email; please choose an email address you check regularly. 
  2. Complete your profile. The first time you log in, you will be asked to complete your profile. You can log in and update your profile or contact details any time.
  3. Complete your application for STEM Professionals in Schools. Please complete all the fields in the application form. Consider your areas of interest, the sorts of activities you would like to do, and how often you'd like to do them. You can also indicate whether you are looking for a local partnership, or a long-distance partnership (which may involve more online engagement).

Our team will use this information to assess your application. If you are eligible, you will receive a registration confirmation email. You can check the progress of your application by logging in to the portal and update your information as required.

Program outcomes

Multiple independent evaluations have found that partnerships are effective in delivering benefits for teachers, students and STEM professionals through a proven industry-school engagement model.

STEM professionals have reported the partnership experience as rewarding and an opportunity to develop their own communication and presentation skills.

Teachers report an increase in STEM knowledge and understanding as well as student improvement in STEM capability and engagement.

View our evaluation reports

Program resources

We provide the following resources to help you build a successful and rewarding partnership.

The STEM Professionals in Schools Induction Modules guide STEM professionals through the early stages of engagement in the program. The modules are designed to provide information on what participating in the program involves and guidance on how to make the most of participation in the program:

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