About Us

Who
we are

Set up in 2014, Skills4Stem was the brainchild of our Sarah Davis. Recognising that many employers were keen to make the most of the Levy and Non-levy apprenticeships, it soon became clear that losing their staff to lengthy courses offered by the institutions was not ideal. Not only that but with much of the coursework being theoretical, it was often hard to see the benefits of an apprenticeship on site.

In addition, Sarah’s passion for helping more women enjoy a fulfilling career in a STEM industry meant the whole review of how a modern-day learner could accelerate their knowledge and skills and become one of our stars of the future.

It required a transformational approach

Adaptive
learning
programs

The Skills4Stem central focus is to provide personalised adaptive learning programs that dovetail into
current employment.

For employers, this meant creating programs where up to 70% of the learning takes place in the workplace. This practical application of tutored learning embeds knowledge straightaway, whilst ensuring resources are optimised on-site. Better to have an apprentice working directly on a project providing commercial value than having them stop away in a college classroom for days on end.

As a result, helping the apprentice learn became key. But all apprentices are not the same. With different learning styles, different lifestyle pressures and different outlooks, it soon became clear that for many, the battery hen approach to institutional education was not always the best way to bring on individuals.

This forms the basis of what we now call adaptive learning. Even before we take on an apprentice, we find out what makes them tick, what motivates them, their preferred learning style and what level they can operate at. By doing this, we then build a qualification around them and their employer, adapting the content in a modular way so they can learn faster or slower as the subject matter changes. And apprentices loved it, with a knock-on effect in employer engagement too.

What surprised everyone was that by taking this adaptive approach, more apprentices completed their qualifications and often much faster than through the institutional approach. Using the unique modular approach any unexpected absenteeism could easily be accommodated by rescheduling. You can’t do that at college, miss it and you miss it.

Now became a case of scalability.

Train
the trainer
academy

Key to all this was the quality of the trainers. To manage this flexible approach, Skills4Stem employed only industry literate tutors and trainers. It’s so much easier to learn from someone who has been there and done that and has reached a point in their career when they can give back to the industry. There was an additional benefit too. Trainers are not lecturers, so they are happy to work all year round. No term times here. So Skills4Stem runs all year round because of the modular approach to learning, apprentices can start at any time. If they come in at module three, we simply add modules one and two at the end. No waiting for course start dates, no managing long holidays. Just work at your pace and get qualified faster.

As Skills4Stem has become established, we become approved providers for most of the awarding bodies that monitor and provide end assessment qualifications and we have become a main apprenticeship provider in the UK Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).

On average we have over 500 live learners at any given time, with many each year attending our graduation ceremonies. It continues to grow each year as employers and apprenticeships come to realise this transformational approach to STEM qualification is a great way forward.

What’s most rewarding of all, is that every day we actively unleash the untapped potential in our candidates in the knowledge that they will one day shape

on-the-job-icon
On-the-job learning
All courses are dovetailed into
practical workplace experience
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Adaptive learning
A modular approach built around the apprentice.
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Industry trainers
Experts who have been there and done that.

Charity and
social impact
Work

Skills4Stem are proud to employ ex-Armed Forces personnel within the organisation and provide a suite of resettlement programs funded by the MoD.

A commitment is reflected in the signing of the Armed Forces Covenant in 2020.

We are also committed to supporting Women into Construction as part of our ambition to bring more women into the STEM Industry.

Our courses

  • Digital
  • Smart Home
  • Quantity Surveying
  • Construction
  • Engineering
  • Building Services
  • HND
  • HNC
  • Level 3 Smart Home Technician

    The Level 3 Smart Home Technician course allows for the integration of humans and technology.

    Digital

    Smart Home

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    Level 4 Quantity Surveying

    A quantity surveyor is responsible for assessing the requirements and feasibility of a building project and procuring the materials and labour needed.

    Quantity Surveying

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    Level 4 Construction Design and Build

    The Level 4 Construction Design and Build Technician course leads to job roles like Assistant Coordinator, Design and Build Coordinator, or Design Manager.

    Construction

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    Level 4 Construction Site Supervisor

    A Construction Site Supervisor manages and oversees the activities and personnel on a construction site, so that a project is run correctly to schedule and safely.

    Construction

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    Level 4 Construction Site Engineering Technician

    The Level 4 Construction Site Engineering Technician course is associated with the dimensional control and application of engineering solutions.

    Construction

    Engineering

    Level 4 Construction Site Engineering Technician

    Level 3 Digital Engineering Technician

    A Digital Engineering Technician works with other engineers and specialists to provide detailed digital solutions for construction projects.

    Digital

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    Level 3 Building Services Design Technician

    Building Services Design Technicians provide assistance to engineers and construction professionals

    Building Services

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    Level 3 Building Services Engineering

    Building Service Engineering Technicians are responsible for the general performance of a building.

    Building Services

    Engineering

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    Level 4 Building Services Engineering Technician

    A Building Services Engineering Technician designs, installs and maintains key building systems such as water, gas, electricity and air conditioning.

    Building Services

    Engineering

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    Level 3 Civil Engineering Technician

    A Civil Engineering Technician provides technical support on a wide range of construction projects within infrastructure and the built environment.

    Engineering

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    HND in Construction and the Built Environment

    Select one of our built environment specialist pathways including Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Building Services Engineering (HVAC or Electrical), Architectural Technician and Quantity Surveying.

    Construction

    HND

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    HNC in Construction and the Built Environment

    Select one of our built environment specialist pathways including Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Building Services Engineering (HVAC or Electrical), Architectural Technician and Quantity Surveying.

    Construction

    HNC

    HNC in Construction and the Built Environment

    Advisory Board

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    Barnaby Wynter
    Founder and MD, The Brand Bucket Company
  • Blane Judd
    Chief Executive of the Institution of Railways Signal Engineers
    A Non-Exec of the UKBIM Alliance
  • Edward Lee
    Partner and Head of the Corporate and Commercial team at Blaser Mills LLP
  • Nicola Forbes-Taylor
    Leadership Consultant @ NFT Consulting
  • Who we support

    Armed Foces Covenant
    We Connect
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