100,000 students and counting: how the Wonder Project is reinventing perceptions of STEM when it matters most

The Wonder Project is Engineering New Zealand's free schools programme, designed to inspire rangatahi with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). Since its inception in 2018, it has reached over 100,000 students across the motu and provided 3,600 free STEM kits to schools.

The Wonder Project includes successive programmes aligned to the New Zealand Curriculum:

• The Rocket Challenge for Year 5–6,

• the Power Challenge for Year 7-8 (and a new Water Challenge in development),

• STEM Careers for Year 7–13.

Wonder Project programmes are fun, hands-on, engaging and accessible so they resonate with all ākonga, especially girls, Māori and Pacific Peoples. The series of programmes deliver sustained engagement across the most impressionable years of a student’s school experience – reinventing their perceptions of STEM when it matters most.

Research shows that perceptions of STEM form at an early age. If ākonga are not exposed to STEM experiences early on, they will not choose these subjects in secondary school. The demand for STEM skills is growing, and yet over the past 10 years, there has been an up to 20% reduction in ākonga being assessed for NCEA science and maths subjects. Reversing this trend requires fun, creative STEM to be embedded for all students from primary school upwards, which is the goal that the Wonder Project has set for themselves.

Ambassadors help bring STEM to life

Where possible, each programme is supported by volunteer industry professionals who join classrooms as Wonder Project Ambassadors. Ambassadors build confidence in ākonga and kaiako as they take them on a STEM learning journey. Having relatable role models also helps to increase meaningful representation for our rangatahi.

Understanding impact comes from many little influences

The Wonder Project understands that changing perceptions of STEM is not a one-and-done job. Students are influenced by many different people and experiences throughout their educational journey.

No programme can claim to have been the “one thing” that inspires a student’s future career or that changes the way a kaiako teaches. There is no silver bullet for the STEM skills shortage that industries now face. But each little effort adds up.

Sustained positive STEM experiences throughout a student’s journey may help shape their career pathway. It may change their perceptions of STEM, or simply remove some fear from the learning process. All are great outcomes that future experiences will build upon.

That’s why the Wonder Project are proud to be a supporter of STEM Alliance Aotearoa, a growing network of business, educators and programme providers that are passionate about working together to create better, long-term outcomes for ākonga and the STEM workforce. They are excited to contribute their knowledge and enthusiasm for STEM engagement to this movement.

Find out more about Wonder Project.