admin, Author at Millennium Point

About the Author
This article was written by Chloe, an alumnus of the Millennium Point Scholarship in 2020. Chloe is an aspiring young engineer who is currently undertaking a degree in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering at the University of Warwick as part of an apprenticeship with design & engineering consultancy, Atkins. Her lifelong passion is Motorsport, which she hopes to pursue a career after her studies. She aims to inspire the next generation of engineers through her work, with a particular focus on bringing more women into engineering and motorsports.
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What has STEM ever done for us?
Well, if you look past the attempt at a Monty Python reference, quite a lot, actually! In a time where uncertainty reigns and the education system is facing (likely) its biggest challenge yet, it is interesting to see the strength of one career area: STEM. STEM is the combination of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, though is also recognised by some as STEAM with the arts now beginning to be incorporated. We all rely on STEM massively; yet often do not realise this. As a young person just beginning to step into STEM at the end of my mandatory education it is clear to me that we need to highlight not only the importance of careers in STEM but also the potential for excitement and job satisfaction these jobs have for young people. By the end of the next few minutes, I will have hopefully given you an insight into why careers in STEM are important to us all.

Why STEM?
I was first drawn to STEM at quite a young age. I grew up surrounded by a number of family members and friends of the family who were involved in engineering and STEM. I would often try and join in when we were having building work done on the house or would want to watch my Dad working away in the garage to repair or come up with a solution for something. As I continued to grow older, I became LEGO obsessed (which, quite understandably, is even the case for many adults). I always wanted to know how things were made and why they worked. It wasn’t until I was much older that I realised this way of thinking could actually be a career.

From building blocks to building a career.

At the point where I had to start making decisions about my future, STEM seemed like the way to go; I could have a job where I could design, fix and innovate all while making a positive difference through my work. For example, without STEM we wouldn’t have X-rays to help us when we get injured (I learnt the importance of this being a quite adventurous child), or our water supply and sanitation systems which we all see as a necessity in modern times. Even the day-to-day is full of STEM – like sending a message to a friend using an app that has been developed by programmers for a phone which has been constructed by a team of engineers and technicians. Without these necessities, our lives would be very different in a negative way.

Remote working and learning has only been made possible through the advancements in digital and technology

Why STEM now?
While the current pandemic has stretched our healthcare system further than ever before and put a stop to ‘normal’ life, people working in STEM (including scientists and engineers) have worked hard to reduce the strain the virus has put on us all. Many engineers, designers and even students utilised 3D printers to manufacture additional PPE equipment for our healthcare workers who needed it. F1 teams banded together to help design and manufacture ventilators to help hospitals care for those in need of medical attention and scientists are still working hard to find a cure for this virus. The clear benefits of this hard work really drive home the point that STEM careers are key in the continuing fight against Covid-19 and whatever may be thrown at the world next. It doesn’t end at using STEM to combat the virus. Without the innovations in digital and tech, remote working and learning would not have been possible. Many more businesses would have been impacted more severely, which have resulted in even more job losses and a bigger impact on the economy. The impact on education was hard-hitting for school leavers like me, but at least through the use of technology, we could still get through it.

Millennium Point offers funding for STEM education and a fully-funded STEM degree at Birmingham City University.

It is essential that going into the future we not only encourage young people to follow careers in STEM but also support them to see it through. We as young people are the future innovators, the future leaders and will be the future of STEM in years to come, in roles that have not even been conceived yet. This is especially important for female students and those of minority races, genders and sexualities, who often feel discouraged from working in STEM due to hostile atmospheres and workplaces. This matters because without diversity we are minimising the talent pool and hindering progress which impacts every facet of our society. According to the IET (The Institution of Engineering and Technology), only 13% of the people working in STEM are female. More must be done to help and encourage girls to pursue and remain in STEM careers to continue to innovate further.

STEM is essential and now, more than ever, we each have the responsibility to support that growth by acting now to support the world of tomorrow.

Start Your Career in STEM With the Millennium Point Scholarship

Millennium Point is offering a fully funded undergraduate degree at Birmingham City University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment. Applications are open now until 31st January 2021. This unique opportunity is open to people over 17 looking to start a STEM degree, and includes a wealth of development opportunities to further kickstart your career.

Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands. Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint.

As the festive period fast approaches, somewhat in unusual circumstances, things wouldn’t be the same without watching a Christmas classic. We’ve put together six Christmas films that you need to watch this Christmas. So what are you waiting for, sit back, open the chocolates and enjoy some cinematic festivity.

6. THE POLAR EXPRESSAt six we have Robert Zemeckis’s animated classic The Polar Express. The Polar Express tells the story of a young boy on Christmas Eve who embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on The Polar Express to meet Santa Clause. The boy’s journey is a memorable one and shows the ways of friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas.

Featuring the voices of Tom Hanks, who was also one of the film’s executive producers, in multiple distinct roles, with Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett and Eddie Deezen in supporting roles.

5. THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROLNumber five brings us to another festive classic, where Michael Caine stars in the 1992 hit, The Muppet Christmas Carol. The film is a retelling of the classic Dickens tale of Ebenezer Scrooge and his dastardly ways. Come Christmas Eve night though that begins to take a different shape as he is haunted by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and future.

Featuring Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, Kermit The Frog as Bob Cratchit and The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens.

4. IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE

At four, we have the 1946 classic It’s A Wonderful Life. The story tells of a young George Bailey, overwhelmed by family obligations and a sense of responsibility toward his community. As George increasingly becomes more unhappy, he thinks about ending it all until his life takes a positive step when he meets his guardian angel, Clarence. Clarence goes on to show George what his town would have looked like if it hadn’t been for all his good deeds over the years.

Featuring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore and Henry Travers.

3. DIE HARDOur film choice at number three brings us to LA on Christmas Eve for the action hit Die Hard. Bruce Willis plays NYPD cop John McClane who sets off on a Christmas vacation to visit his wife Holly who works for the Nakatomi Corporation. The couple head to the Nakatomi headquarters for a Christmas party where things start to take a turn for the worst. A group of robbers led by Hans Gruber take control of the building and hold everyone hostage, with the exception of John. With no immediate police response, John embarks on a mission with the lives of the hostages in his hands.

Featuring Bruce Willis, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald VelJohnson and Paul Gleason.

2. ELFIt wouldn’t be Christmas without watching Will Ferrell’s great performance as Buddy, in the Christmas hit, Elf. The film begins 30 years prior to the films events. A baby crawls into Santa’s sack and ends up at the North Pole. The baby grows up to be named Buddy and is raised by a group elves. After believing he was part of the elf family, buddy discovers the truth about his birth farther Walter Hobbs and heads to New York to track him down. Buddy soon experiences human culture and when Walter’s relationship with Buddy interferes with his job, he is forced to reevaluate his priorities.

Featuring Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart and Edward Asner.

1. HOME ALONESo we finally get down to number one and how could we forget about Kevin McCallister fending off the troublesome duo of Harry and Marv in Home Alone. As Christmas time arrives the McCallister family set off for their vacation trip to Paris. As the family embark on a mad rush to the airport they completely forget about Kevin who is left at home. Kevin soon realises the situation and starts to enjoy having the house all to himself. As Christmas Eve arrives, Kevin soon learns the danger he is in as two burglers Harry and Marv attempt to break into the McCallister’s home. Kevin acts quickly by wiring up well designed booby traps in order to bring the burglers to justice.

Featuring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard and Roberts Blossom.

Today we take a fond look back to 2017 when the annual Big Wheel and Ice Rink came to Eastside Green opposite Millennium Point. For those of you who you unaware, each year the city welcomes a few festive staples of the Birmingham festive calendar including the Frankfurt Christmas Market and the Big Wheel and Ice Rink. In 2017, the usual home of the Big Wheel & Ice Rink in Centenary Square was out of bounds due to the ongoing development work around infrastructure and the new tram links. After a few considerations, Eastside Green on New Canal Street was chosen as the temporary site for the festive attraction, directly opposite our landmark public building. The location was chosen for it’s close proximity to the city centre and Digbeth, parking via the multi-story at Millennium Point and the travel links via Birmingham Moor Street and New Street.

What was there?
Described as “bigger and better than ever” at the time, the attraction included numerous fairground rides, food stalls, festive decor and, of course, the ice rink itself with its own lounge and the big wheel – all lit up to create its own magical winter wonderland. Food stalls included German bratwurst and Chinese bibble waffles to quarter-pounder burgers and ostrich burgers, with one stall even offering a full Christmas dinner plated up or wrapped in a giant Yorkshire pudding! the on-site Christmas Bar boasted a huge 30ft tree protruding from its roof (although it didn’t top our 39 ft tree!) where people could stop and enjoy a warm Bailey’s hot chocolate alongside mulled wine, prosecco and ciders. The bar also had a viewing platform where people could watch family and friends zoom around on the ice. If this wasn’t magical enough, the festive Coca-Cola truck pulled appeared on site for a few days as one of its locations around the UK! The attraction was opened by Santa himself and the Lord Mayor in late November and it ran straight through to New Year’s Day, staying open late New Year’s Eve so visitors could reign in the new year in style.

The Big Wheel & Ice Rink returned in 2018 in a more limited capacity due to the start of HS2 works on part of the green, but we will never forget the huge success it had in 2017 and how it transformed a cosy space outside our award-winning venue into a winter wonderland! Sadly, like the Frankfurt Market, it has not returned to Birmingham this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, don’t get too downhearted because, like the Christmas activities at Millennium Point, it will be back in 2021!

Did you visit the Big Wheel & Ice Rink when it was outside Millennium Point? Let us know on social media by tagging @millenniumpoint.

Find more interesting content from Millennium Point over at our news section, or follow us for daily updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn with @MillenniumPoint. Millennium Point is a landmark public building and multi-award-winning events venue in the Eastside of Birmingham City centre. Profits from our commercial activity are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and education in the West Midlands.

On Wednesday 9^th December our award-winning venue Millennium Point hosted an exclusive audience with two of the candidates for Mayor of the West Midlands. Our Level 4 Auditorium space welcomed Mayor Andy Street and Liam Byrne MP, where they were interviewed by Simon Topman (Chairman of Millennium Point).

How The Event Was Presented
The event was lived-streamed to the Millennium Point YouTube channel and was hosted by The Lord Mayor of Birmingham’s Charity. Each mayoral candidate discussed their vision for Birmingham, giving us an insight into the future opportunities and challenges for the region. The event also offered the opportunity for audience members to send in questions for both mayoral candidates. These were read out by Simon Topman, with Andy and Liam giving their responses.The Interviews
Andy Street was the first interview and he discussed some prevalent topics including job opportunities in the construction industry, more leisure potential in Birmingham, addressing industry skill gaps in the region and the road ahead for the hospitality industry recovery, including the need for larger grants.

Once Andy Street had concluded his vision for Birmingham, Liam Byrne was next to discuss his with Simon. Liam discussed a number of topics including building new careers for young people in the region, green manufacturing to support local organisations, building new cancel homes and putting an end to hunger and homelessness.If you missed the event last week or would like to watch any of the discussions again you can access all the content by clicking the button below.

Live Streaming at Millennium Point
Our Events team worked hard behind the scenes to set up this live stream and make sure everything was delivered successfully. There was a number of features included on the live stream including on screen graphics, switching of different camera angles and an introduction video by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham’s Charity. Below you can see some different shots of the set up.We are delighted to announce this package is now available for you to add to your events package. Our award-winning venue prides itself on being forward thinking and always looking ahead for new and exciting ways to enhance our clients event experience. This package offers a professional and affordable live streaming service designed to ensure that your delegates can enjoy your event wherever they are.

If this is something you are interested in then don’t hesitate to contact our friendly Events team today on 0121 202 2200 or email [email protected].

A leading music industry-academic at Birmingham City University has welcomed the findings of UK Music’s Music By Numbers report and calls for UK Government and industry to work together to secure further support tackling ongoing challenges presented by Covid-19 and Brexit.

Dr Matt Grimes is the music industries course leader at Birmingham City University and member of UK Music’s Music Academic Partnership (MAP) initiative. Dr Grimes warns that ‘the UK’s music industries are facing the biggest existentialist crisis in history due to the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, but that the year on year growth recorded in the Music By Numbers report available to read here, is likely to be significantly damaged – potentially irreparably – by both the pandemic and new legislation following the UK’s exit from the EU.

Dr Matt Grimes Senior Music Industry Lecturer Birmingham City University

“Amongst the headlines from UK Music’s latest report – recording data from January 2019 – December 2019 – is a stark reminder of the music industries’ importance, documenting an increase in its financial contribution to the UK economy via an increase of 11.8% from 2018 data to £5.8 billion. But after the worst year on record, with the widely reported brutal blow to the live music sector, what does the latest data tell us about how the UK’s music industries can recover from the combined challenges posed by Covid-19 and Brexit?

“We need the UK Government to negotiate and put in place a simplified system to enable the continuation of reciprocal artistic exchange between the UK and EU. This is just one of a number of ‘next steps’ we must see taken in order to protect and secure the massive contribution that music makes to the UK’s economy and cultural fabric. Other steps highlighted in the UK Music report include Covid-19 recovery and revival; a continuation of and a more robust system for workforce support during the pandemic, to make sure that skilled workers are ready to reactively and successfully hit the ground running at the earliest opportunity post-Covid.

“UK Government must develop a post Brexit copyright framework to enable music creators to fairly monetise their work; offer international trade support that further develops the UK music industries around the globe by entering into trade agreements that allow UK music to grow in key markets; a nurturing of the UK’s talent pipeline by an investment by the government into music education and the development and support of regional music boards; and tax incentive schemes, which are common in other countries, to support the growth and development of the UK music industries.

Music industries form part of the wider S.T.E.M umbrella, alongside digital technology, film and the games industry. The Millennium Point Charitable Trust is working in partnership with Birmingham City University to offer a fully funded undergraduate scholarship at the faculty of computing, engineering and the built environment. Courses eligible for funding include Music Technology and Sound Engineering and Production. Applications open on 2nd December 2020 for any young people looking to start their career in music. For more information or to apply please visit this page.

Promote Millennium Point Scholarship — Scholarship 2020 Finalists (From Left to Right) Kallum Wright, Chloe Copeland, Shennice Talburt, Lauren Davies, Amber Kelsey.

Dr Grimes concludes: “The music industry is critical to the UK’s post-Covid recovery. It may well have to mutate to survive and new models of music production, distribution and consumption may well emerge from post-Covid music industries. Models we hope will be able to sustain and grow what is a key national asset.”

For print, online and broadcast interviews with Dr Matt Grimes, please contact Lyle Bignon on 07740 753 779 or via [email protected].

Every year, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust Small Grants programme gives out grants of up to £20,000 to support science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education projects in the West Midlands. Applications are now open for 2021.

Here is one of the many projects that the programme has funded in 2020:

‘BREAKING THE BARRIERS TO STEM’

Who’s running the project?
The project is managed by a parent’s voluntary organisation in partnership with King Solomon International Business School – Birmingham’s first all-through (4-19) Christian free school, which specialises in international business and entrepreneurship. The Parent School Partnership (PSP) was established in 2015 by parents of pupils who attend the school. To this end, PSP activities have been by donation of time, gifts and resources from willing parents and community partners – and now Millennium Point.

What’s it all about?
An inner-city school in Birmingham with a high proportion of BAME (Black, Asian and Ethnic Minorities) pupils, its ambition is to ‘break barriers’ and increase STEM engagement across the entire pupil population, whatever their gender or ethnicity, through a series of onsite activities, workshops, clubs, as well as STEM-related off-site trips. For a lot of children at the school, this will be their only chance to experience this kind of specialist learning in addition to the national curriculum and the aim is for them to be immersed into the world of STEM; give them opportunities that they otherwise would not have to boost STEM participation and be excited about the possibilities of careers in STEM.

The PSP and school has identified gaps in the children’s exposure to STEM learning and wants to reach individuals from urban, challenged or hard to reach backgrounds by providing all of this free of charge to prevent barriers to their involvement.

The project will include the following:

Code Club – an after-school club designed to immerse students in the world of code – HTML, Java, CSS etc.
Eco-friendly sensory wildlife garden – designed to help students explore science in a practical way and learn about life cycles, growing, plants, climate, habitats, weather. The Code Club will create a QR code for the various plants and environments, which can be scanned to get the information about the optimum climate for growth etc.
Equipment – for a variety of science and maths experiments, including one which will measure the carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide levels in classrooms and outside areas.
Excursions – a range of STEM-related school trips, including Dudley Canal and Tunnel Trust; Planetarium at Thinktank; Jaguar Land Rover Wolverhampton; Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

Who does it benefit?
The aim is everyone at the school, from ages 4-19, a total of around 1,200 pupils.

What they said: Jean McLeod, lead chair of the Parent School Partnership, said: “We want to increase STEM engagement opportunities across the whole school, both Primary and Secondary. We are an inner-city school in Birmingham – 98% BAME – and we want to make sure that this traditionally marginalised group is not missing out on opportunities for STEM learning and careers in STEM. We have identified gaps in the children’s exposure to STEM learning; we want to reach individuals from urban, challenged or hard to reach backgrounds by providing these activities without the barrier of cost.”

When’s it all happening?
Work on the QR codes and sensory garden began in September. Other projects will be delivered and completed across the school year.

About grant funding from Millennium Point
Applications for 2021 grant funding have now closed. For information on the Millennium Point Charitable Trust Grants programme 2022, please visit: millenniumpoint.org.uk/grants

(Images in order: Featured Image – Faith Smith and Dylan Binns, King Solomon International Business School, Pupils testing our the QR codes in their Sensory Garden, Abbie Vlahakis, Millennium Point CEO with Jean McLeod, Head of PSP, standing by the Sensory Garden.)

Our award-winning venue Millennium Point is set to host an exclusive audience with two of the candidates for Mayor of the West Midlands.

Andy Street, the current West Midlands Mayor, will join mayoral candidate Liam Byrne MP in conversation on Wednesday 9 December 2020. The virtual event will be live-streamed from Millennium Point and hosted by The Lord Mayor of Birmingham’s Charity. Following an unprecedented year, the event promises to offer a fascinating insight into the future opportunities and challenges for the region. Each mayoral candidate will present their vision for Birmingham followed by a question and answer session from the audience. Local residents and businesses are being invited to register now for the event and for the chance to submit their questions to the candidates.

Abbie Vlahakis, CEO at Millennium Point, says: “We’re delighted to be hosting this event and look forward to welcoming Mayor Andy Street and Liam Byrne MP to Millennium Point. 2020 has been a year like no other and the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted every individual, organisation and business in Birmingham. We’re passionate about our city and its people so it’s a pleasure to facilitate what I’m sure will be an engaging and important discussion about our region’s future. We invite local people across the city to register now, join the conversation and help shape the debate.”

Millennium Point is an award-winning event, conference and exhibition space situated in the heart of Birmingham city centre. Profits from its commercial activity as a venue and landmark public building are invested by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust into projects, events and initiatives which support the growth of science, technology, engineering and maths in the west midlands combined authority.

When and Where can I watch?
‘An audience with Andy Street and Liam Byrne’ will be streamed live from our Level 1 event space on Platform at Millennium Point on Wednesday 9 December 2020 at 4.00 pm. The event is free and will be available to watch live via Millennium Point’s YouTube channel. This is an unmissable opportunity to see the future vision of Birmingham from two candidates for your Mayor of West Midlands.

We love Christmas at Millennium Point, so much so that in 2019 we made it our mission to spread a bit of festive joy. While we can’t be with you and bring you together in the ways that we would like, that doesn’t stop us from helping you get into the season and (hopefully) lift your spirits as we close off what has been an extraordinary and challenging year for a lot of us. Throughout this month we’ll be bringing you a host of Christmas related content from playlists to Christmas gift ideas and much, much more. Kicking off, we’re sharing 4 highlights from Christmas at Millennium Point in 2019.

1. Bringing sparkle to Eastside with lights and a 39ft Christmas Tree!

To show we were serious about our mission, we pulled out all the stops for looking the part. We installed icicle lights across the length of our landmark public building, accompanied by lit star motifs to the left-hand side of the building of the venue. Inside, over 131 metres of icicle lights adorned the balconies on each level with 9 large 3D stars illuminated with ED lights. Lastly, our pièce de résistance, was the installation of our 39ft Christmas tree covered by 23,000 LED Christmas lights in our multi-award-winning venue’s Atrium. If you think putting up your tree is a faff, this tree took Birmingham based company, The Christmas Decorators, twelve hours to put up! You can watch the full time-lapse video of the spectacle below. The tree formed the backdrop for a range of activities we put on throughout December. While we can’t bring those events back for 2020 due to the ongoing restrictions, we’re pleased to say that all the decorations are back! If you’re in the area, come by and check them out for yourself!

2. When Santa and the BBC turned our lights on.

So, we looked the part, but what next? No winter wonderland is complete without a festive light switch on of course! To mark our first ever Christmas celebrations we invited Richie Anderson (Co-host on BBC Radio 2 Zoe Ball Breakfast show) and BBC Midlands Today presenter Rebecca Wood, alongside Santa himself to pull the plunger. The event was attended by our staff, tenants and a few friends. Watch the big moment below!

3. Then Santa and Olaf handed out presents to children

The light switch on wasn’t the only time Santa came to Millennium Point. Santa appeared for several meet and greets over the holiday period. Sitting underneath our Christmas tree on a red and gold throne, accompanied by a nutcracker either side and a mountain of presents; Santa met and handed out gifts to families from all over Birmingham in this completely free series of events. He asked the children for their Christmas lists, posed for photos and brought the excitement and magic ahead of the big day. Alongside the meet and greet, the children were also treated to an assortment of free activities including face painting, games and dancing with Olaf from Disney’s Frozen! We also hosted exclusive meets with Santa for several SEND groups, including a dedicated event for Calthorpe Academy, a 2-19 special needs school in Birmingham city centre.

4. And G4 gave a stunning performance on our steps

Oh yes, and what a performance it was! Prior to their concert at Birmingham Town and Symphony Hall as part of their “G4 Christmas”, the boys took to the steps of our multi-award-winning venue to give an intimate and magical free preview to fans and lovers of all things Christmassy. The operatic four-piece rose to fame on the original series of the X Factor. They reunited in 2014 after disbanding in 2007, with the release of their first post-reunion album ‘G4 Christmas’ followed by a Christmas tour, a tradition which has continued and grown in the years since. One attendee commented, “It was magical, truly breath-taking and I couldn’t have picked a better place to see them than here!” During the performance, the group laughed and chatted to the crowd and afterwards posed for photos before heading off to prepare for their full show.

Look to the future!

Looking back on last year makes us excited for the future. We promise that this won’t be the last of the fun – like Birmingham, we’re coming back for 2021 with all the events and activities you enjoyed so much and when we do, it’s going to be big! In the meantime, if you’re around in Birmingham City centre then please do visit us (but remember your facemask!) and see the decorations for yourself, pose under our giant Christmas tree with nutcrackers, share your photos online, and while you’re in the building, why not have a nice warm drink from the delicious Mulinos?

Applications are now open for our life-changing scholarship at Birmingham City University.

Each year, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust fully fund an undergraduate degree at Birmingham City University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment, which covers over 20 different courses across computing, digital technology, engineering and the built environment. Now in its seventh year, the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship has already funded six young people from the region through their degrees at Birmingham City University – which originally started as the Young Innovator Prize in 2015.

The competition is open to applicants aged 17 and over within the West Midlands Combined Authority, who are looking to start a qualifying degree in September 2021. To apply, they need to download and complete our quick and easy application form from our website by answering four questions. They will then submit their completed form to [email protected] by Sunday 31st January 2021. We will invite five applicants to a final assessment day in March 2021 before deciding a winner.

Who can apply?
Applications are only being accepted from students living in the West Midlands Combined Authority, who cannot already have or currently be studying an undergraduate degree. The scholarship only applies to a qualifying course at Birmingham City University. For further information, check out the rules section.

Why should they apply?
All finalists will benefit from the programme with opportunities that can kick start their career in science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM). One person will get a fully funded degree – which means they won’t pay their undergraduate tuition fees. They’ll also have several opportunities to develop through networking, events and industry links provided through Millennium Point. All finalists receive skills development and training to build their confidence before the live final. Following the competition, they can become an alumnus of the programme and benefit from a range of opportunities such as mentoring, work placements and networking.

Why do we do this?
Birmingham and the West Midlands is teeming with unfettered STEM talent. Now, more than ever, young people need our support and encouragement for them to unlock their potential. The scholarship is one of several ways we, as a charitable trust, support the growth of STEM industries in the region and do our bit to secure the future and economic growth of an area and a community that has been designated the largest hub for science and innovation outside of London. For more information on how you can get involved please visit this page.

Get started
If you or someone you know is interested, head over to millenniumpoint.org.uk/scholarship and start the application.

Organisations within the West Midlands Combined Authority have just one week left to apply for a grant from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust to support their science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education projects. Not-for-profits, schools and charities can apply for funding from £1,000 up to £20,000 from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust to fund their STEM projects starting in September 2021. Projects can be activity focussed or for the purchasing of resources and materials which enables STEM-related education to children or communities. With the deadline fast approaching, we are urging organisations not to miss out on this important funding opportunity.

Applications close on Monday 30th November at 5pm.

How do you apply?
Applicants will need to download and complete the application form on the Millennium Point website. The completed application should be submitted to [email protected] before 5 pm on Monday 30th November 2020.

Since 2018, Millennium Point Charitable Trust has donated over £969,000 through its annual grants process to a diverse range of projects across education, STEM-focused charities, sporting charities and museums. This year Millennium Point awarded £560,000 to fund over 60 projects across the region. Projects funded include ‘STEM stars’ from Aston Villa Foundation, a programme which engages young people in coding using football; and ‘Sensory STEM’ from Longwill School for the Deaf, Northfield, and a programme teaching the science of rollercoasters to children with illnesses, which will make science more visual and accessible to their pupils through science-based equipment and an enhanced curriculum.

Where does the money come from?
The Millennium Point Charitable Trust owns the 46,450 sqm landmark Millennium Point building on Curzon street in the eastside of Birmingham City Centre (opposite the future Curzon Railway). Millennium Point is “COVID Secure” and has 17 versatile event spaces capable of holding a variety of events from meetings to formal dinners. Profits from our commercial activity as a landmark public building and multi-award-winning conference and events venue feedback into the charitable trust, enabling it to donate and invest in STEM-related organisations, projects and initiatives. The grants scheme is our flagship initiative alongside the Millennium Point Trust Scholarship which funds at least one young person’s undergraduate degree each year at Birmingham City University.

Head over to our grants page and start your application. Applications close at 5 pm on Monday 30th November 2020.