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How to improve the human capital in science/technology/ICT, how to better prepare the students for a more complex labor market re-shaped by the information and knowledge society became an issue of worldwide concern of states and governments. Under these pressures the reform of the educational systems as well as the issues of human capital for SET became, the last two decades, a problem of strategic concern for the governments worldwide.
Problems/ questions like:
- Why fewer and fewer female chose an education and career in SET/ICT fields?
- Why girls drop out from Technology Education at different stages of their education?
- Can we create new ways and educational methods to make the image of technology and science more attractive for both boys and girls?
- Can we promote, encourage and mobilize especially girls and young women for engineering and technology?
- Why the European young talented females and males in the field of technology, especially ICT, prefer the American universities and companies?
The project UPDATE - Understanding and Providing a Developmental Approach on Technological Education (FP6-Science-and-Society) – dealt with these questions but, unlike other studies- it paid a special attention to early informal and formal education. Briefly, what made the difference was the developmental approach to technological education. ‘Compared to many other projects that have tried to involve girls in technology, the UPDATE approach included a strong focus on early childhood and primary education, phases in UPDATE WP5 The Content of a New Strategy 6 which the attitudes are often formed. From this understanding, it is far too late to start to try rising the girls' interest at only at secondary or later stages. We are convinced that with new, improved technology education practices it is possible to make science and technology more attractive for young people, promote their interest, and encourage their critical and creative ways of thinking’ (UPDATE project).
This report, prepared by the WP5 of the Update project, presents the main problematic issues identified by our research and the recommendations for the policy/decision makers in order to promote, encourage and mobilize the young people -females and males- for engineering and technology both as a career, and as active users of modern technology.