Bronze Awards are typically completed by students aged 11+. They complete a ten-hour project which is a perfect introduction to STEM project work. Over the course of the project, teams of students design their own investigation, record their findings, and reflect on their learnings. This process gives students a taste of what it is like to be a scientist or engineer in the real-world.
Silver Awards are typically completed by students aged 14+ over thirty hours. Project work at Silver level is designed to stretch your students and enrich their STEM studies. Students direct the project, determining the project’s aim and how they will achieve it. They carry out the project, record and analyse their results and reflect on the project and their learnings. All Silver projects are assessed by CREST assessors via our online platform.
Gold Awards are typically completed by students aged 16+ over seventy hours. Students’ projects are self-directed, longer term and immerse them in real research. At this level, we recommend students work with a mentor from their chosen STEM field of study. All Gold projects are assessed by CREST assessors via our online platform. There are more CREST approved resources that have been developed by our partners and providers specific to your region.
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The Industrial Strategy Grand Challenges Student handout The four Grand Challenges of the UK’s Industrial Strategy are Ageing Society, AI & Data, Clean Growth and Future of Mobility – four global trends that the Government believe the UK should be at the forefront of tackling today and in the future. It is hard to imagine any part of our lives which won’t be affected by one of these Grand Challenges in some way. They will affect the jobs we do, the homes we live in, how we get around, how we spend our money and the design and manufacture of the products we use. By exploring them further you will be helping to identify the challenges and opportunities they present and come up with new products, business ideas, original research and communication campaigns to improve the lives of people of all ages and backgrounds. Ageing Society What would you do to help us all age better? How do you think your life will be different to that of your parents or grandparents? The UK population is ageing – with 1 in 3 babies born today expected to live to a 100 – this will have an impact on everyone, not just older people. We’re living longer, but we need to do more to improve our quality of life – we want everyone to age better. This might affect the skills you need throughout a longer career, how you will care for an older relative, the type of home you live in and who you live with. As people live longer, older people will be a much bigger market for new products, technology and services, to help healthy ageing and living independently. Technology could help people live healthier lives, work more efficiently, give them better access to services and could even help care for older people. New home designs might need to accommodate more multigenerational families, transport will need to be more accessible and solutions found to combat loneliness and isolation in old age. We have an obligation to help our older citizens lead independent, fulfilled lives, continuing to contribute to society. If we succeed, we will create services, technologies and products which work for everyone, regardless of age. 6
The Industrial Strategy Grand Challenges Student handout Artificial Intelligence and Data Would you trust a computer to buy clothes for you? If you shop online, you might find that intelligent computer systems are already influencing your decisions. Artificial intelligence (AI) is when a computer thinks and makes decisions like a human being. These decisions might be too difficult or time consuming for humans or just too mundane. The more data we give the computer, the better the decision it can make, very often this is a better and much faster decision than any human could make. AI is the foundation of smart technologies, such as driverless cars and personal digital assistants and it also might affect what you see on your social media feed and recommendations on shopping sites. These technologies are already a part of your life and are starting to transform the global economy. They can identify better ways of doing complex tasks – from helping doctors diagnose medical conditions more effectively to allowing people to communicate across the globe using instantaneous speech recognition and translation software. However, with new technology come concerns about security of data and the limits of machines. The more data that is collected the higher the risk that it could be used in way that is unethical or puts lives at risk. What would you not trust a computer to do for you? 7