As part of the IT education offensive and with the support of 20 partners, 600 “SimplyNano 2” experiment kits were made available free of charge to around 90 secondary schools in St.Gallen and Appenzell last year. The case’s many hands-on applications and experiments highlight the exciting variety of topics in scientific and technical career fields. This makes an important contribution to the young people’s career choice process. Last year, more than 120 teachers learned how to use the cases in eight continuing education courses at companies and in online seminars. In addition to nano-experimentation, they also learned about companies that will depend on the next generation of skilled workers in the future. In this way, the project builds a bridge between schools and companies. The feedback from teachers and companies, and ultimately from the students, was very positive.
Progress of the IT education offensive
Many of the 22 sub-projects of the IT education initiative are well advanced. For example, in elementary and middle schools, selected model schools will start this summer
of elementary school under the supervision of the University of Teacher Education St.Gallen (PHSG) with the testing of different scenarios of digital pedagogy such as adaptive learning, blended learning, 1:1 computing and make-oriented learning. At the same time, two of three planned model projects (blended learning, pedagogical and technical support) will begin at selected middle schools. In addition, the modular continuing education program developed by the PHSG for teachers at elementary, middle, and vocational schools will also be ready for launch at the end of 2021. Furthermore, as is known, with the start of the fall semester at the OST, the bachelor’s course in computer science will no longer be offered exclusively in Rapperswil, but now also in St.Gallen. In the Fürstenland-St.Gallen-Lake Constance arc, this market expansion brings the previously weak supply of training positions for qualified specialists in information technology into line with the high demand. At the University of St.Gallen (HSG), too, the first master’s students will start their studies in computer science at the new School of Computer Science in the coming fall semester. This is the first time that the HSG has taken the step of becoming a provider in a discipline of the technically oriented faculty group and fulfills the demand of the economy for academically qualified computer scientists.
STEM promotion for all Swiss upper secondary schools
The successful “SimplyNano 2” project in eastern Switzerland is an important step on the way to nationwide deployment. Currently, the cases are already available in four cantons in all senior high schools. Starting in the 2021/22 school year, the canton of Zurich will also be equipped with the cases, and by the end of 2025, all interested schools throughout Switzerland should have experimental cases. This can get many young people excited about technology and even a corresponding career choice while they are still at school. More information can be found on the SimplyNano website.
The Eastern Switzerland project is supported by the following partners:
- Alexander Schmidheiny Foundation
- Amgen Switzerland AG
- Filtrox AG
- Geberit AG
- Hans Huber Foundation
- INFICON Holding AG
- IT Education Offensive of the Canton of St. Gallen
- Metrohm Foundation, Herisau
- Citizenship of St. Gallen
- Local community Widnau
- Ria & Arthur Dietschweiler Foundation
- Sefar AG, Thal
- Siegfried AG
- SimplyScience Foundation
- SFS AG, Heerbrugg
- Starrag AG, Thal
- Steinegg Foundation, Herisau
- Cantonal Bank of Gall
- Straubenzell Fund of the Local Citizens’ Community of St. Gallen
- Vifor Pharma AG
- Walter and Verena Spühl Foundation
Media review of the final press conference at the Blumenau school