Update on education volunteering
Thank you for your patience during the review of our education volunteering activity. We know that you have been waiting for specific information about what the current pause means for your role. We are now able to share more detail about how we will deliver education outreach activity in the future and the opportunities available for volunteers to continue supporting young people through STEM engagement.
Over the last year we have carried out a full review of our education activity across the IET. This includes FIRST® LEGO® League, Faraday Challenge® Days and the school outreach activity delivered by Education Volunteers. The purpose of the review has been to ensure our programmes remain effective, sustainable for the future and set up for long term success.
Throughout this review, a key consideration has been how we can continue to inspire young people through engineering and technology while making the best use of existing national STEM programmes and volunteer networks. Our review has shown that there is a strong opportunity to do this through the STEM Ambassador programme via STEM Learning and IET Local Networks, while continuing to support activities such as FIRST® LEGO® League and Faraday Challenge®.
What is changing
Following our review, and to ensure we focus our IET resources in the most effective way, we have made the decision to retire the standalone IET Education Volunteer role and move future school engagement and STEM outreach activity into the STEM Ambassador programme and our wider volunteering community activity via IET Local Networks.
This means:
- Future volunteer involvement in Faraday Challenge® and further STEM outreach such as school visits, talks and presentations, will be coordinated through the STEM Ambassador programme via STEM Learning: https://www.stem.org.uk/stem-ambassadors.
- Funding, planning and delivery of volunteer education outreach via the STEM Ambassador programme will continue through the IET Local Networks.
- We will no longer print IET Education resource packs.
- There is no change to arrangements for FIRST® LEGO® League volunteers.
Why this approach is being taken
This review has given us the opportunity to look at how we support volunteers to engage with schools and young people in the most effective way. The decision reflects several practical considerations:
- Many organisations now run their STEM outreach work through the STEM Ambassador programme. Following this model supports collaboration and consistent reporting.
- STEM Ambassadors, through the STEM Ambassador programme, have access to training, guidance, local hubs and opportunities to connect with schools directly.
- Safeguarding checks within the STEM Ambassador programme already meet the standards required for school activity. This avoids the need for a separate process within the IET.
What this means for your role
We hope many of you will continue to be involved through the STEM Ambassador programme, by remaining with, or joining an IET Local Network, volunteering for FIRST® LEGO® League and by considering other volunteering opportunities across the IET.
We want to emphasise how much we value the time, expertise and commitment you have given in support of young people in STEM. The success of our education activities has been built on volunteers like you, and we hope this next phase will provide even more opportunities to connect with schools and young people through established STEM outreach networks.
If this is your only volunteering role with us, and you choose not to continue via another route, this will mean that you will lose access to any systems you may have access to in your capacity as an IET volunteer. This includes your Volunteer Office 365 email account which will close 30 days after your receipt of the closure notice. If you do have another volunteering role with the IET, access to relevant systems required for those roles will remain in place.
You may also have kits related to your education volunteering – please feel free to donate anything you may have or use it up if you choose to continue volunteering with the STEM Ambassador programme, join or remain with an IET Local Network.
Current opportunities to stay involved
The changes we are making are designed to create a clearer route for volunteers to continue supporting education activity. Opportunities include:
- The STEM Ambassador programme which is now our recommended route for school engagement.
- FIRST® LEGO® League, with opportunities for the next season opening later this year.
- A new delivery model for Faraday Challenge® has been developed. Many of you contributed ideas during the workshop sessions, and your input has helped shape this work. Opportunities to support this new model will be shared through the STEM Ambassador programme in 2027.
Thank you again for your patience and for everything you have already contributed in support of young people in STEM. Although the Education Volunteer role is being retired, our commitment to inspiring young people through STEM remains unchanged. We hope you will continue to be part of that journey through the STEM Ambassador programme, Local Networks, FIRST® LEGO® League, Faraday Challenge® and the many other volunteering opportunities available across the IET.
If you have any questions about these changes, please contact volunteer@theiet.org and if you are interested in connecting with a Local Network, please speak to the team via communities@theiet.org.