Hydrogen in Schools (HySchools) seeks to provide a step change in education on the topic of Hydrogen Fuel Cells Technology (HFCT) across Europe, driven by the university partners & supported by all partners to ensure its maximum impact on education and industry. HySchools is a partnership of 4 Universities with specialisms in HFCTs, 1 Regional Authority, 1 Energy Agency, 1 Science Park and 1 training provider based in 6 countries across Europe, which together will work to create teaching resources for the HFCT sector that educates learners and teachers alike, at all levels of the educational system. Hydrogen fuel cells and the ‘hydrogen economy’ are considered a big solution to our future clean energy needs. However, the skills required to support the growing industry are lacking and in order to remove some of the barriers that exist (lack of teaching resources, confidence of teachers to teach, lack of awareness of wider uses for HFCTs and links to wider curriculum etc), a programme of practical educational resources for university students, pupils, teacher training departments and school teachers is required. This is happening at a time when the trajectory for employment in the sector is upwards. The Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCHJU) suggests the number of jobs has been increasing in the sector by approximately 6% per year since 2007 to 4,000 (FTE) today globally and Survey respondents in the industry expect employment growth of 9% pa, doubling the number of jobs 2013-20 to around 8,000 globally. A Call for proposals from the Commission funded FCH Joint Undertaking (FCH-04-3-2017) sets out need ' a firm basis needs to be prepared for an EU-wide human resources development of scientists & especially engineers to feed the growing European fuel cell and hydrogen (FCH) industry. The SET Plan Education, established in 2012/2013, expected a human resource of 57,000 highly skilled staff required by 2020, and 190,000 by 2030 in the FCH business. Supplying this resource is a major challenge in reliably building the FCH value and supply chain.' The achievement of higher level skills in HFCTs is hindered by a lack of teaching in schools. The needs of the education system are equally matched with a demand for this step change in provision from industry to enable it to draw on an a highly skilled, prepared and enthusiastic future workforce. However the two require effort to facilitate the required educational solution and resource at all levels. Needs in relation to the education systems we seek to influence include: - in Secondary and Higher level schools the subject of HFCT applications is only taught from a scientific perspective, not linked or across wider disciplines and at primary school it is not taught at all; - teachers do not understand how to teach about HFCTs; - teachers, especially at primary schools require additional CPD opportunities to help them deliver; - practical teaching resources are needed for all age levels to aid both learning and teaching; - even Chemistry teachers, whilst they are aware of HFCTs, do not have expertise in teaching about HFCTs or their industry application; - there are no current direct links between most schools and the industry; - a lack of activity in all of the above means there are no role models or aspirational stories to engage and energise young people; - as a result there is a lack of available equipment to teach appropriately and in a practical way; - in order to influence curriculum change it requires an understanding and appropriate input with cyclical reviews of the curriculum and ongoing dialogue with exam boards. To overcome these barriers HySchools will focus its activity on the provision of 7 Intellectual Outputs covering: 1) Education & Industry Alignment of need and demand 2) Creation of practical resource for secondary schools 3) Creation of practical resource for Post 16 4) Online HFCT resource for schools & industry 5) Demonstration & Awareness Open Days 6) Toolkit for integration within EHTN linked to higher level skills 7) Dissemination HySchools aims to bring teaching of HFCTs across a range of age levels and subject matters and as a resut it will immediately impact on Pupils, Teacher Trainers, Trainee Teachers, Teachers, Careers Advisors, Industry, Stakeholders & Policy Makers and ultimately in the future university students across a range of disciplines to provide the industry with the higher level skills it requires.
Faced with the challenge of climate change, Europe aims to implement a decarbonised economy by 2050, using a renewable and sustainable energy system. Hydrogen as a means to store wind-powered and solar electricity is an essential part of this energy transition, and the use of these clean and carbon-free technologies is rapidly growing. However, to support the development of a hydrogen economy, a conjunction of factors needs to happen: 1/ technological advancements, 2/ bringing technology to market, 3/ public awareness and education. Over 30 months, HySchools has focused on giving young people and their educators across Europe the knowledge and tools to understand the challenges ahead and get involved in finding the energy solutions of the future. HySchools aimed at: - Increasing teachers’ confidence in teaching Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (HFCT) by providing a range of accessible and practical educational resources - Aligning HFCT education and industry needs through mixed stakeholders input to ensure that the new curriculum developed meets the skills required in the clean energy industry - Increasing general understanding of how HFCE can benefit Europe in achieving its carbon reduction targets The project focused on the following target groups: - Teachers and students from secondary schools and colleges - Teacher training providers - Industry - Policy-makers Project activities and results obtained To help the development of educational resources that would match teachers’ needs, HySchools carried out an extensive survey in which 590 teachers were involved, to identify the type of content, methods and activities they require to confidently teach HFCT. In parallel, partners developed a state-of-play of each partner country’s education system (including where HFCT is/could be taught) and its HFCT industry. Analysis of the findings led to the production of a research report, articulating a set of recommendations that informed the development of educational resources. The HySchools resources are a range of practical and free educational resources accessible online, aimed at secondary schools and colleges, organised in 11 topics relevant to HFCT, including topics beyond traditional science subjects. Each topic comprises of a teacher guide, PowerPoint presentations for students, additional resources and subject knowledge for teachers, insights from energy and technology companies, specially selected videos via the HySchools YouTube channel and a range of student activities including Kahoot quizzes. Alongside an extensive content, HySchools partners have developed an innovative teaching method which allows the co-production of learning sessions, and the development of transversal competencies for students, to increase their autonomy and resilience in their learning and their lives. 262 teachers from 100 schools across the 6 partner countries have used the HySchools resources either in teacher training settings or in their classroom (to a total of 1332 students). An extensive evaluation was carried out, which highlighted that teachers’ confidence in teaching HFCT increased by 36% in average after using the HySchools resources; 97% said the resources enabled them to differentiate according to age and ability; and 65% said they were likely or very likely to use the resources in future lessons. A range of dissemination activities took place throughout the project, to increase engagement in the project, disseminate the project results, influence curriculum change and local/regional/national strategies focused on clean energy skills, jobs, and growth, and to support general HFCT awareness. It is estimated that dissemination activities reached approximately 29,000 people, ranging from schools, businesses, academics, policy-makers or general public. Two multiplier events were organised, to share the project results, in Italy in March 2019 and the UK in February 2020, attended by a range of target groups representatives. HySchools will continue its legacy, as the resources are available on online, therefore accessible worldwide. Also, a proposal has been submitted in April 2020, to follow on HySchools and create Europe-wide schools competitions on hydrogen and fuel cell education.