Lessons learnt
Reflecting on the delivery of the Engineering Scholars Programme, several key takeaways and valuable lessons have emerged that can inform future initiatives aimed at widening access to engineering education. From the initial planning stages to implementation and evaluation, the programme offered insights into what works well, the challenges and what could be improved.
Lessons
It is essential to hire a co-ordinator, even on a part-time basis, as administrative support is incredibly valuable. This becomes especially important when managing a larger number of tutors and scholars, particularly when some tutors are inexperienced.
When scaling the programme, balancing individual and group tutoring is worth considering.
Individual tutoring allows sessions to be tailored to a scholar’s specific needs, but scheduling challenges sometimes disrupted sessions. Small group tutoring, on the other hand, fostered peer interaction and ensured sessions could proceed even if one scholar was absent. Group tutoring worked best when scholars were from the same school and following the same curriculum.
However, mixed groups from different schools with varying topics, such as mechanics and electronics, made it more challenging for tutors to manage effectively.
It’s important to begin recruiting both tutors and school pupils before schools break up for the summer holidays, as this approach is applicable to any location.
For tutors, ideally, recruitment should start at the end of the previous academic year, allowing them to plan ahead for the next year.
This ensures they can adjust their part-time work schedules accordingly, especially since the role involves payment, giving them the opportunity to prepare and organise their commitments effectively.
We offered tutoring or mentoring support for our first-year students from disadvantaged backgrounds, delivered by senior students in their fourth and fifth years (the final two years in Scotland).
Unfortunately, we observed that many of the students we offered this support to were not signing up for the programme. We believe this could be due to several factors, one of which might be that they didn’t want to feel singled out as individuals in need of extra help or support.
We learned that more work is needed to make the offer more appealing and better communicate its value.
Running a mentoring program depends on reliable funding. We were fortunate to receive initial support from the Royal Academy of Engineering, followed by internal funding from the University of Strathclyde. This covered key costs like tutor payments, travel expenses, and an essential project coordinator.
The coordinator’s salary proved to be the largest ongoing cost. While some expenses, like travel, were lower than expected thanks to national entitlements, securing long-term philanthropic or industry funding remains a challenge.
Collaborating with alumni and development offices has been key in identifying potential supporters.
Following three years of running the program with varying participant numbers, programme is found to be highly scalable.
Comprehensive preparation materials in maths and physics, along with refined planning processes, have enabled efficient delivery without a proportional increase in workload.
The main scaling challenge lies in administrative tasks, such as: disclosure checks, right-to-work verification, and issuing teaching contracts, which create a temporary peak in workload.
However, the tasks are manageable, and the programme’s positive impact can be sustained and expanded at scale.
Providing tutors with transferable skills added long-term value to the program.
Some tutors have since used these skills for private tutoring opportunities, demonstrating real-world impact.
A key operational insight was the importance of setting a consistent weekly schedule.
Tutors who tried to be flexible often faced inefficiencies due to back-and-forth coordination.
Having tutors return for a second or third year proved highly beneficial. It reduced the need for repeated background checks and brought valuable experience to the program.
Returning tutors had learned the importance of maintaining a consistent schedule for effective collaboration with scholars.