Updating the 4 pledges
As The Code community evolves and grows, we need to reflect your feedback as well as consider input from the engineering and technology community around us.
We believe it’s the perfect time to make the 4 pledges clearer, more tangible and easier to action. Our proposed updates to the pledges are below. We’d love to hear your feedback, please drop us an email
INSPIRE CONNECTION
Work together to create sustained journeys of engineering and technology inspiration activities for all young people.
Why does this pledge matter?
The more real-world engineering and technology experiences a young person has, the more likely they'll consider career opportunities in engineering and technology.
Ambition
Give young people a rich variety of connected engineering and technology experiences to inspire them to think about a career in these areas
To meet this pledge you should…
- Work with others to make sure your activities are part of a rich and varied engineering and technology journey for all young people.
- Communicate your objectives and purpose clearly to your audience.
- Show young people how your activities relate to the real world.
Top tips to meet this pledge
- See what other Signatories are doing to avoid duplication of effort – connect with the community to inform and improve your activities.
- Share your activities with the community through The Code's channels, as well as on Neon.
- Support others in the community by signposting to their activities when appropriate.
- Collaborate with others to build partnerships to improve activities.
DRIVE INCLUSION
Help all young people get access to engineering and technology inspiration and careers activities, especially those from groups underrepresented in the engineering and technology industry.
Why does this pledge matter?
We need to prioritise the funding, design, and delivery of engineering and technology inspiration and careers activities to all young people. Delivering inclusive activities ensures the opportunities offered by engineering and technology have an impact on underrepresented groups of young people.
Ambition
That all young people, from all genders, ethnicity groups, socioeconomic backgrounds, and locations, can take part in impactful engineering and technology inspiration or careers activities.
To meet this pledge you should…
- Use the latest insight to identify the groups currently underrepresented in engineering and technology to shape your target audience.
- Make sure your activities are impactful, inclusive and accessible to young people from underrepresented groups so they see themselves in engineering and techology opportunities and careers.
Top tips to meet this pledge
- Use EngineeringUK's priority schools criteria to improve the targeting of activities to young people. Prioritise those from groups who are currently underrepresented in engineering and technology, particularly girls.
- Include your target group (those underrepresented in engineering and technology) in the design of your programme.
- Use Tomorrow's Engineers' EDI resources to adapt your activities to be more inclusive and impactful to young people from groups underrepresented in engineering and technology.
- Clearly communicate your purpose and benefits to your target audience.
- Connect with the Code community to share and learn from each other's experiences of making activities more impactful for underrepresnted groups.
SHOWCASE ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY
Celebrate the breadth of opportunities and benefits that careers in engineering and technology offer to all young people, as well as the positive environmental and societal impact.
Why does this pledge matter?
Young people need to see engineers and technicians they can identify with. They need to know the diverse opportunities and different pathways into a career in our industry, as well as the positive impact engineers and technicians have on society. Authentic, consistent, and inspiring activities will inspire them to think about a career in engineering and technology.
Ambition
Promote the variety of pathways into engineering and technology to all young people, as well as the breadth of opportunities and the positive real-world impact these careers have.
To meet this pledge you should…
- Talk about what you know: use your knowledge and passion to inform a positive promotion of your area of engineering or technology.
- Use audience insight, including information that shows engineering and technology's diverse roles, opportunities and pathways, to shape your messaging.Offer an authentic view of engineering and technology, including information about growth, salaries, what engineers and technicians do, current workforce diversity and ethical considerations.
- Challenge stereotypes through positive imagery that will resonate with young people.
Top tips to meet this pledge
- Start with your area of expertise and show how engineers and technicians can solve real world problems such as climate change.
- Choose engaging formats that young people will respond to and use consistent messaging throughout your activity.
- Use role models to tell their stories – either in person or through written or video case studies. They should talk about the route they took into their career. Use several role models to show young people there's more than 1 pathway.
- Use inclusive and authentic imagery to promote engineering and technology as diverse and for everyone. Use royalty free images and guidelines developed by the This is Engineering campaign.
- Deliver with expertise, authority and enthusiasm so young people connect with your message. Train your team and your volunteers to deliver with confidence. The STEM Ambassador programme is a good place to start.
IMPROVE IMPACT
Continuously learn from and improve your activities using evaluation data as well as sharing learnings with the community.
Why does this pledge matter?
We need to build a better evidence-base to identify what delivers the greatest impact. Code Signatories should share their insights and learnings to help the community create stronger programmes.
Ambition
Develop and share an understanding of what works to drive continuous improvement and increase investment in activities with proven, evidence-based impact.
To meet this pledge you should…
- Evaluate your activities and use your findings to drive continuous improvement while sharing your learnings with Code Signatories.
Top tips to meet this pledge
- Develop, build and deliver your activities with KPIs, learning outcomes and specific goals in mind.
- Use the Tomorrow's Engineers research and evaluation resources to help improve how you evaluate your activities.
- Develop a theory of change for your activity.
- Collect feedback on your activity to measure and review the impact of your activities. Use this to drive continuous improvement.
- Share your learnings with the Code community via a case study, Tomorrow's Engineers resource, Code Connect, our online workshop programme or at Tomorrow's Engineers Live.