Project Three - Learning 2050
Learning 2050
The Commission identified that education would be a key determinant of the future success and competitiveness of the city and ensuring that the local workforce has the skills necessary to be able to meet the needs of knowledge-intensive businesses. To that end, the Learning 2050 project will explore how MK’s schools and college can give a greater focus to STEM subjects; science, technology, engineering and maths. This includes both what is taught as part of the curriculum and how it’s taught - how opportunities to engage with business can be harnessed and demonstrating how STEM subjects are essential in some high-profile industries.
The project’s core objectives are to help students be able to access future employment opportunities by developing transferable skills and knowledge; for students to be able to access higher education at MK:U with its emphasis on STEM-related subjects; and to have a highly-skilled workforce in the city creating an environment that is attractive to knowledge-intensive business sector employers.
A regular group of headteachers, representatives from MK College and Milton Keynes Council have been meeting to produce a report that will focus on delivering Learning 2050 and its objectives.
Following engagement with schools and businesses a report has been produced covering the Milton Keynes curriculum, teaching and learning. It also includes an action plan setting out how to implement a Learning 2050 Board that will work to strengthen school-business links, prepare students for apprenticeships and working life and higher education, particularly in relation to MK:U.
Work has taken place to implement the main recommendation from the report to create the Learning 2050 Board that will be made up of a consortium of education experts from around the borough to deliver the Learning 2050 aims and objectives.
This board will aim to capitalise on the predicted changes in the Ofsted Framework to accommodate wider learning further than English and Maths. In addition, this project will take advantage of MK:U and MK College’s Institute of Digital Technology giving students multiple avenues of further and higher education and career options.
The next phase of this project has been implemented over Summer 2019 and the Learning 2050 Strategic Board and its membership has been agreed. The first iteration of the board will sit in November 2019 and will set the strategic direction for the next academic year.