LEGO Education is the latest company to announce its support for the Year of Engineering, joining the likes of Apple and the BBC along with more than 1,400 other businesses, charities, schools and colleges. The Year of Engineering, which was announced in November 2017, is a year-long government campaign which celebrates the world of engineering. The initiative aims to highlight how engineering affects every aspect of our lives; from spaceships and ice skates to the bubbles in chocolate and the design of cars, it’s everywhere!

Education systems are failing both students and businesses, claims research by Intern Tech. A shocking 48 per cent of UK graduates stated that they struggle to secure jobs in the technology and marketing industries due to lack of skills, and 93 per cent of UK tech firms claimed that the lack of skills holds their businesses back; surely this is the time for change. So before students even reach university, what more can we be doing to better prepare them for the working world and close the widening digital skills gap?

A huge advocate of developing the prosperity and wellbeing of the communities it serves, East Kent College aims to open up a world of possibilities which could lead students into their perfect career. They’re doing this by providing high-quality education, celebrating students’ individuality, and encouraging entrepreneurial spirit. So how does the college facilitate these standards?

As the debate over single-sex education continues, Karen Raven, headmistress at Chislehurst School for Girls in Bromley, South London, cites the importance she believes all girls’ education plays in preparing young women for 21st century Britain, as well as in closing the careers gap persisting between men and women…

How best to make the most of the individuals and organisations in your local area? We approached a group of community-minded innovators with two big challenges facing schools. First up...

I spent the first years of my teaching career listening to students and parents talk about UCAS. University was the prime route young people took, and that was primarily because there was a limited understanding on the value of an apprenticeship as the first step into a career.

Stephen Logan is both a school leader and an expert on careers education (as director of National Careers Week), so we absolutely had to rendezvous with the Yorkshire-based educator to pick his brain...

Numerous studies indicate that tomorrow’s jobs will demand “creative problem-solving skills”, but what exactly are these skills? Also, are they being taught effectively to the next generation - a group facing a massive shift in job requirements as workplace automation becomes more prevalent?

With the aim for the UAE to be #1 in the Global Innovation Index by the year 2021, it is hardly surprising that there is a heavy focus on innovation as part of the nation’s school inspection framework. However, as with most buzzwords, the term “innovation” has become somewhat debased. Even among experts the term is fiercely debated. This ambiguity leaves the average teacher with a quandary: they are being expected to increase the level of innovation in their practice, as well as helping foster innovation amongst their students, all the while being unclear of exactly what they are working towards.

With resource constraints, schools in the UK will be primarily focusing on their school improvement plans and staff retention. However, there are some edtech trends slightly over the horizon which we will start to see come into play beyond the immediate and day-to-day: