Scoala de Valori: Young people want to study at faculties with a real or technical profile

96% of the 12th grade students, selected in the free preparation program for this summer’s Baccalaureate exam – creȘTEM Viitor, supported by the educational organization School of Values, in partnership with Raytheon Missiles and Defense, want to enroll in faculties with real or technical profile, opting for specializations such as Informatics, Automation and Computers, Constructions or Aerospace Engineering.

Almost all of the 30 12th graders, participants in the creȘTEM Viitor program – supported by the non-governmental organization School of Values ​​together with Raytheon Missiles and Defense, plan to pursue university studies with a real or technical profile.

Among the specializations mentioned by 96% of young people are Computer Science, Automation and Computers, Construction and Aerospace Engineering, General Medicine or Military Medicine. They all mentioned that they want to work in the fields that they are really passionate about.

“I want to specialize in the medical field and work in Romania, I would like to help and develop the locality where I will work. The current situation requires, more than ever, the expertise of the medical staff, and the future will be no exception. After finishing my studies, I will dedicate myself to my professional life. But to get there, I need help, especially for college admission. I really wanted to be part of this project, because the extra training helps me a lot. The future often causes me anxiety. But I consider that, if the future does not make you shiver, you did not aim high enough “, states Patricia-Andreea Todirișcă, a student enrolled in the creȘTEM Viitor program.

Young people, who come from disadvantaged backgrounds in Romania (more than half of them are part of families whose incomes are below 2,000 lei), who do not have the opportunity to invest in their education and personal development, but who want to build a future career, they have enrolled since the end of last year in this free training program for taking the Baccalaureate exam, as well as for admission to college. Starting with January a.c., young people benefit from additional training to help them successfully pass the BAC exams in STEM subjects: mathematics, computer science and biology. So far, the young people have attended over 100 training sessions. The creȘTEM Viitor program runs until July.

“This modern world of the 21st century, in which the technologies of the future are progressing at an astonishing pace, highlights the importance of scientific knowledge, capitalized at the level of technology and engineering, demonstrated and ordered mathematically and computer science. Thus, teaching and learning STEM subjects adds value to young people looking for the chosen profession to belong to one of the fields: programming, engineering, petrochemistry, biochemistry, geology, medicine or anthropology “, adds Silvia Bogdan, president of Scoala de Valori.

The CreŞTEM Viitor program targeted students from Romania, passionate about science and technology, who are looking to make their mark on the future through a career in one of these fields, but who do not have financial help or support from the family, which to allow them to prepare in this direction. Thus, students without material and educational possibilities were selected, who obtained good school results (averages of at least 7 in STEM subjects). Each student in the program is advised and prepared free of charge by a mentor, has access to a website, where he can view and upload homework, take tests and access study materials at any time. At the same time, in addition to preparing for exams, young people are also helped in the study process for admission to faculties with a real or technical profile. Also, during this period, students participate in workshops developed by the Values ​​School organization, designed to help them in their personal development, to increase their self-esteem and to provide them with a framework in which to discover their true potential. During the workshops, the young people have the opportunity to talk to experts in the STEM fields – representatives of the American company Raytheon or other specialists from other companies in Romania. During the project, teachers who offer meditations to students note the evolution of each of them, to trace the development of participants from enrollment to completion of the project, and then to compare the initial results with the grades obtained at the Baccalaureate exam. In 2020, the Baccalaureate exam recorded the lowest promotion rate in the last six years, 6 out of 10 high school students managing to obtain a passing grade, according to statistics from the Ministry of Education and Research. In the context of the pandemic, which has lasted for more than a year, as well as the online school, Romanian students need additional help and thorough preparation for the final high school exam, but also to develop their skills, being thus, one step closer to the jobs of the future.