It’s already widely known that females are massively underrepresented in STEM education. Currently, females make up 28% of the science, engineering, technology and maths workforce. At Millennium Point Trust, we are trying to change the percentage with the help of Scholarships, Grants and projects such as SciMED.

As a charity supporting STEM education in the West Midlands, we also aim to support other organisations and shine a spotlight on their work to further promote the importance of STEM.

Below, provided by Twinkl, we see 4 inspiring women in STEM talk about their careers including Millennium Point CEO Abbie Vlahakis. The videos, perfect for younger audiences, educators and staff working in schools can help students learn about different career options in STEM.

Abbie Vlahakis, CEO Millennium Point

Dr Jenny Arthur, Glaciologist – Glaciologist, Dr Jenny Arthur

Dr Jenny Arthur shares her tips on scientist skills and the life of a glaciologist, studying the ice shelves of Antarctica.

Science is a wonderful way to learn about the world. But what skills do you need? Where do you get these skills and knowledge to be a scientist. Well Dr Jenny Arthur shares some very cool ways she uses her scientist skills in Glaciology.

Dr Felicity McDowall, Archaeologist – Archaeologist, Dr Felicity McDowall

Dr Felicity McDowall shares her story of being an archaeologist and how she uses dates and evidence to understand the past. She’s even studies people from The Stone Age.

Archaeology is Dr Felicity McDowall’s specialist subject. And she uses a lot of scientific skills as an archaeologist and anthropologist.

Clare Brown, Biologist – Biologist, Clare Brown

Start exploring science with curator, Clare Brown as she shares her story of studying biology with schools and working to preserve thousands of plants and animals at the Leeds Discovery Centre.

Imagine exploring science and seeing thousands of different animal bones and fossils? For biologist, Clare Brown, that’s her job. Everyday!

Get involved with Millennium Point

Our multi-award-winning charitable trust invests more than £3m each year towards furthering STEM education within the West Midlands.

Over the years we have provided funding to Scholarships, Grants, and projects that benefit the region. Find out more about our Trust and see how you can get involved here.

It’s already widely known that females are massively underrepresented in STEM education, but what is being done to change this? Currently females make up 28% of the science, engineering, technology and maths workforce, highlighting that males outnumber females in the STEM industry.

What is STEM Education?

STEM education is all about teaching students science, technology, engineering and maths.

Rather than teaching these subjects separately, STEM uses a combined applied approach to encourage and better equip students to consider careers within STEM.

Why is there a lack of females in STEM Education?

There is a noticeable difference between the amount of females and males in STEM education that decreases continually after GCSE level education. After GCSEs, only 35% of females choose to study STEM subjects, with this decreasing to 25% of females choosing to study them at university.

Students, and people more generally, are often misled into thinking that STEM subjects are ‘meant for boys’ which can therefore be off-putting for girls to apply for or sit in classes where they may be one of a few girls or even the only girl in the class.

How can we change this and encourage more girls to apply for STEM subjects and consider a career in the industry?

Improve job satisfaction

Research shows that 1 in 10 girls want a job that makes a contribution to society. Due to this, more should be done to highlight that studying STEM subjects can lead to a career where girls can meet their ambitions to make a contribution to society. This will help close the gender gap by encouraging more girls to study STEM subjects relating to their aspirations.

Showcase more role models in STEM industries

Showcasing more female role models in STEM industries will help encourage girls to consider STEM subjects and careers as they can be inspired by someone more like them. This could be done by including more female role models in school career days.

Furthermore, universities could have more female lecturers, helping encourage girls to pursue university degrees, by providing a female role model that understands the career path they want to pursue.

What problems do females face in STEM industries?

Over half of females in a male dominated STEM workplace have felt some kind of discrimination while at work.

Furthermore, 1 in 5 women stated that, before the Me Too movement, they felt being female had held them back from succeeding at work and gaining promotions.

Women also face problems such as:

• Not receiving promotions – 40% of women have missed out on a promotion that was given to a less qualified male. As a result, women have considered changing employers to attain a promotion.
• Not receiving a good work life balance – Women understand that keeping a work life balance is hard, but they would like more opportunities to balance working and spending time with their family.
• Not receiving equal pay – Men and women tend not to receive equal pay in tech. If they were paid equally, STEM education and careers may attract more women.

What can education and not for profit leaders do to close the gender gap?

Education and not for profit leaders can make small changes to the way schools deliver STEM education to females to help close the gender gap.

For example education and not for profit  leaders could:

Generate excitement

Generating excitement around the creative opportunities STEM education can give to females could help encourage them to further study science, technology, engineering and maths.

Excitement can be generated by:

• Decorating classrooms with posters and displays that show how creativity can be utilised within STEM.
• Experiment with ways to debunk myths about STEM and highlight the relevance it has to the real world.
• Share any interesting news, classes, competitions or case studies relating to STEM with students.

Provide hands-on experience

With 47% of women saying they learn best with hands-on experience, it’s important to mix theory with hands-on learning. This allows all types of learners to access teaching in the way that best suits them, helping them thrive in STEM education and making them more likely to study these subjects in further education.

Hands on experience can be provided by:

• Introducing STEM and computer science at an early age.
• Offering STEM clubs and activities during and after school, such as coding and science clubs.
• Offering school trips to STEM related centres and museums.

Encourage a growth mindset

Encouraging a growth mindset among both students and teachers will help to open doors into the STEM industry and encourage teachers to do more to support students going into STEM related subjects.

Encouraging a growth mindset could be done by:

• Encouraging teachers to support students through all areas of the learning process, including asking questions and failures.
• Exploring different ways to implement STEM subjects into learning models, for example including computer science in the learning curriculum.
• Including ‘learn by doing’ apps into classes and homework tasks.
• Reaching out to other schools that are leading the way in STEM education to ask for advice or collaborate on teaching and holding after school STEM related clubs.

How have female positions in STEM education changed since 2015?

In physical sciences and engineering and tech, the percentage of female graduates has increased since 2015, however there has only been a tiny improvement. Similarly, female graduates in mathematical sciences decreased by 1% in 2018/2019 compared to 2015/16. However, female graduates in computer science dropped between 2016 and 2017, but increased to 16% of graduates in 2018/2019.

While it’s great that we’re seeing an increase in female graduates in STEM related subjects, it’s clear that there’s a lot more educators and not for profit organisations can be doing to help encourage more females to enter STEM related subjects.

How can Millennium Point help close the gender gap in STEM education?

The Millennium Point Charitable Trust has created the STEM roundtable to help bring together STEM industries, primary and secondary education, further education and not-for-profits in STEM sectors.

What’s the purpose of the working group?

• To provide a platform for support and communication to facilitate the sharing of ideas and cross-collaboration for the development of STEM projects.
• To shape the future of STEM learning, starting in the West Midlands by making affirmative action that creates positive change in STEM education and industry.
• To reverse current negative STEM trends by bridging the skills gap and ensuring every child has an opportunity to develop a career in STEM.
• To increase home grown STEM talent by creating a legacy that will nurture local and national talent that will allow the UK to be a major competitor on the global stage.

Get in touch with our Trust Team today to see how you can get involved in closing the gender gap in STEM.

Applications are now open once again for the life changing scholarship. In partnership with Birmingham City University each year Millennium Point Trust fund an undergraduate degree at BCU.

There are over 20 courses to choose from included in the scholarship. Applications are now open, with the deadline on Friday 17^th March 2023, meaning plenty of time to complete the form.

Hatem impressed judges last year and secured Scholarship victory

Hatem was currently studying an Extended Diploma in IT (Network and Security) at Solihull College and had ambitions to study Computer Science at university. Information of the Millennium Point Scholarship landed in Hatem’s inbox, where he knew straight away, he had nothing to lose by applying.

In Hatem’s application he made it clear how much winning the Scholarship would mean to him, his great passion for computers and his mission to use computing and technology to better lives. The Millennium Point Charitable Trust team were hugely impressed with Hatem’s application and selected him along with four other finalists.

All the finalises attended an assessment day at Millennium Point, where they each presented to a panel of five judges, Hatem impressed the panel the most and was selected as the lucky winner of last year’s Scholarship, which has already helped launch the careers of seven outstanding STEM students. Hatem’s degree in Computer Science at Birmingham City University (BCU) started in September 2022.

Applying is easy and simple

The competition is open to you if you are 18 by, and looking to start an undergraduate degree in September 2023 and within the West Midlands Combined Authority, who are looking to start a qualifying degree in September 2023.

Read the application from carefully and start to answer each question. Think about why you want to study your chosen degree and what you want to do in the future. Also discuss any personal attributes and skills that could help you be the next winner of the Scholarship.

It’s a two-stage application, with the final stage being an assessment day. If you make it to the final, you will be invited to participate in developmental workshops. These will focus on supporting our personal development and professionalism in both interview and presentation skills.

We’re here to help you every step of the way

We want everyone to have the best chance of success when applying for our Scholarship scheme, and sometimes bigging yourself up can be a little daunting. That’s why we have created a helpful guide to aid you through your application. Keep an eye out on our social media for any new blogs, videos or resources that can help further.

You can always contact our friendly Trust team for any other enquiries you may have.

Unlock your student’s future by getting your school involved

Get your school involved and spread the word about the Scholarship. Tell parents, young people, teachers, and colleagues. The bigger it gets, the more impact we can make together.

We have created a Teacher’s Portal with assets and information that can help you provide students information on how to apply.

Are you a business wanting to get involved? Visit our Business Portal here.  We’re always looking out to collaborate with businesses and professionals on the MP Trust Scholarship.

Why do we do this?

At Millennium Point we believe that STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is important for the future of the region. Now, more than ever young people need our support and encouragement for them to unlock their potential. The scholarship is just one of the ways we can provide support to help them achieve people’s goals.

Apply today to start your Scholarship journey

Applications are now open with the deadline on Friday 17^th March 2023, apply now and see what you can achieve!

A panel of keynote speakers which includes former 5,000m world record holder David Moorcroft OBE, Commonwealth gold medallist Adam Whitehead and Dr Emily Hoodless, Consultant Physician, head up an afternoon of networking and discovery at Millennium Point, where businesses can meet like-minded businesses and discover the exciting STEM opportunities in the world of sport.

The SciSport Showcase on July 7th, from 3.30pm to 5.30pm, forms part of a day of activity funded by the Millennium Point Charitable Trust at the landmark Millennium Point building, which is in association with the ‘United by Birmingham 2022’ programme welcoming the Commonwealth Games to Birmingham this summer.

SciSPORT – Showcasing the importance of STEM in Sport

Millennium Point’s “SciSport Showcase” will welcome more than 1,000 school children from 28 schools across the region to participate in a range of thrilling activities, workshops and talks delivered by a host of organisations and personalities from the world of science and sport.

Abbie Vlahakis, CEO of Millennium Point, commented: “This SciSport event is a perfect example of why we do what we do – to promote STEM across the region and increase the opportunities for the next generation via some of the most exciting career paths available.

“STEM careers run throughout sport – from physiologists and nutritionists to sports equipment designers and groundspeople. We hope this event will give children a small insight into the amazing opportunities that are on offer to them.”

Network with likeminded individuals

Businesses can register for the free afternoon event here by emailing events@bydesign-group.co.uk

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. 

Our CEO Abbie Vlahakis and members of the Millennium Point Charitable Trust were invited to King Solomon International Business School to unveil a plaque commemorating our support for their eco-friendly STEM garden.

The “Breaking The Barriers To Stem” project is a great example of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) education projects we fund in the West Midlands region. It was great to catch up with staff and pupils at King Solomon, seeing the positive impact the project has had.

(Pupils from King Solomon International Business School holding the plaque, with Abbie Vlahakis, Millennium Point CEO and Jean McLeod, Head of PSP.)

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 at the start of the project, was 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 includes 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.

What impact has the project made?
The project has been a breath of fresh air to the school, offering opportunities within STEM, that without the funding, would not of been possible. The garden has helped pupils explore science in a fun engaging way, developing their education around life cycles, growing plants, climate effects, habitats and weather.

It was also fantastic to hear the positive impact the “Code Club” has had on the pupils. Pupils have been immerged in the world of code, with top technical practices such as HTML, Java and CSS being learned at the school.

These skills go a long way in providing the pupils a brilliant opportunity to kickstart their career within STEM.

How the Millennium Point Charitable Trust can help you
The Millennium Point Charitable Trust is committed to supporting the growth of STEM education in the West Midlands region, through funding, resources, projects and events.

Explore what we do or get in touch to see how we can work together.

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. 

Deadline for the Scholarship is drawing near, with just 48 hours to go now is the time to submit your application.

In partnership with Birmingham City University, each year Millennium Point Trust fund an undergraduate degree at BCU. There are over 20 courses to choose from in industries for Built Environment, Computing, Digital Technology and Engineering. The deadline is in just under 28 hours at 5pm Friday 11^th March 2022, and can be done via your computer, laptop, tablet and mobile.

You can apply all online on our website here.

Applying is quick, easy and all online

You can easily apply for a Scholarship on our website, through your phone, tablet, or computer. 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 2022.

Read the application from carefully and start to answer each question. Think about why you want to study your chosen degree and what you want to do in the future. Also discuss any personal attributes and skills that could help you be the next winner of the Scholarship.

It’s a two-stage application, with the final stage being an assessment day. If you make it to the final, you will be invited to participate in developmental workshops that will focus on supporting our personal development and professionalism in both interview and presentation skills.

Last year’s winner Asima

The 37-year-old mum of five was studying Social Science and Humanities at Dudley College, before she secured the scholarship in aims to study planning.

All the finalists attended an assessment day at Millennium Point, where they each presented to a panel of five judges, Asima impressed the panel and was selected as the lucky winner of the Scholarship, which has already helped launch the careers of six outstanding STEM students.

Asima said ‘The Scholarship application was very simple, easy, and quick. The judges were a delight to present in front of, they made me feel so comfortable and relaxed and there is so much you can learn from them. I enjoyed the training and all the help provided prior to the presentation, it was very valuable and enjoyable experience. I also loved the interaction I got from the judges.’

Need any help finishing your application?

We want everyone to have the best chance of success when applying for our Scholarship scheme, and sometimes bigging yourself up can be a little daunting. That’s why we have created a helpful guide to aid you through your application. Keep an eye out on our social media for any new blogs, videos or resources that can help further.

You can always contact our friendly Trust team for any other enquiries you may have.

Deadline is fast approaching, apply today and see what you can achieve

The Millennium Point Trust Scholarship has kickstarted the career for 7 outstanding students already. By applying you could be in a chance to win a fully funded degree. So you won’t have to worry about paying back any fees.

The application deadline is fast approaching, closing on Friday 11^th March, apply on our website today.

Why do we do this?

At Millennium Point we believe that STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is important for the future of the region. Now, more than ever young people need our support and encouragement for them to unlock their potential. The scholarship is just one of the ways we can provide support to help them achieve their goals.

Don’t miss out on our life-changing Scholarship. Applications close on Friday 11^th March 2022. 

What is the Millennium Point Scholarship?

Now in it’s 8^th year, the Millennium Point Scholarship is an annual competition, aimed at anyone aged 17 or over that is looking to go to university. One lucky winner in the West Midlands will get their undergraduate degree fully funded by Millennium Point in partnership with Birmingham City University. The initial application takes less than 30 minutes and can be done online on a laptop or any mobile device. The top applicants will then be invited to an interview before a winner is announced.

What courses can I study?

There are over 20 courses to choose from in industries for Built Environment, Computing, Digital Technology and Engineering. For more information on what courses are available click here.

A look back on the 2021 winner

2021 saw 37-year-old mum of five, Asima Adnan crownded the Scholarship winner. After impressing the panel of judges, Asima began her fully funded Planning degree in September. Find out more about Asima’s journey to victory by watching the video below.

You’ve got two weeks to kickstart your career

With just two weeks to go don’t miss out on this amazing opportunity, kickstart your new career today by clicking below.

Please note that this scholarship is only applicable to Birmingham City University’s Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment. You must also be based in the West Midlands to apply.

APPLY NOW

We are here to help

Bigging yourself up can be quite daunting — we get that! But it’s an awesome skill to have which is why we’ve made a handy little guide to help you with your application process. For more information and useful tips please click here.

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.

Applications are now open once again for the life changing scholarship. In partnership with Birmingham City University each year Millennium Point Trust fund an undergraduate degree at BCU.

There are over 20 courses to choose from included in the scholarship. Applications are now open, with the deadline on Friday 11^th March 2022, meaning plenty of time to complete the form.

Asima impressed judges last year and secured Scholarship victory

The 37-year-old mum of five was studying Social Science and Humanities at Dudley College, before she secured the scholarship in aims to study planning.

All the finalists attended an assessment day at Millennium Point, where they each presented to a panel of five judges, Asima impressed the panel and was selected as the lucky winner of the Scholarship, which has already helped launch the careers of six outstanding STEM students.

Applying is easy and simple

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 2022.

Read the application from carefully and start to answer each question. Think about why you want to study your chosen degree and what you want to do in the future. Also discuss any personal attributes and skills that could help you be the next winner of the Scholarship.

It’s a two-stage application, with the final stage being an assessment day. If you make it to the final, you will be invited to participate in developmental workshops that will focus on supporting our personal development and professionalism in both interview and presentation skills.

We’re here to help you every step of the way

We want everyone to have the best chance of success when applying for our Scholarship scheme, and sometimes bigging yourself up can be a little daunting. That’s why we have created a helpful guide to aid you through your application. Keep an eye out on our social media for any new blogs, videos or resources that can help further.

You can always contact our friendly Trust team for any other enquiries you may have.

Unlock your student’s future by getting your school involved

Get your school involved and spread the word about the Scholarship. Tell parents, young people, teachers, and colleagues. The bigger it gets, the more impact we can make together.

We have created a Teacher’s Portal with assets and information that can help you provide students information on how to apply.

Are you a business wanting to get involved? Visit our Business Portal here.  We’re always looking out to collaborate with businesses and professionals on the MP Trust Scholarship.

Why do we do this?

At Millennium Point we believe that STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is important for the future of the region. Now, more than ever young people need our support and encouragement for them to unlock their potential. The scholarship is just one of the ways we can provide support to help them achieve people’s goals.

Apply today to start your Scholarship journey

Applications are now open with the deadline on Friday 11^th March 2022, apply now and see what you can achieve!

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. 

As we head into the festive holidays and approach the end of another year, Millennium Point has achieved some great things in 2021. Here is five key events that have happened at our award-winning venue this year.

Mass Vaccination Centre

Millennium Point made history as we were announced as a mass vaccination centre for Covid-19 in January 2021. It was one of eight centres to be opened across the UK, and the first mass vaccination site in the West Midlands region. Our venue opened it’s doors as a vaccination centre on 11^th January 2021. This announcement was welcomed by the general public and top media organisations alike.

The first day saw Sky News, BBC, ITV, LBC and Birmingham Mail at Millennium Point to capture the first vaccinations, and mark the historic moment that the UK could start the road to recovery. Below shows a video capturing the excitement and relief that accompanied it.

Across the whole time we were a mass vaccination centre, approximately 180,000 vaccinations took place at Millennium Point during this time.

Asima Adnan wins a fully funded degree

In 2021 our Scholarship program crowned it’s 8^th winner, with Asima Adnan from Dudley being named the winner of this year’s life-changing Millennium Point Charitable Trust Scholarship, earning a fully-funded degree at Birmingham City University (BCU).

Asima along with the other finalists, attended an assessment day at Millennium Point, where they each presented to a panel of five judges. Asima impressed the panel the most and was selected as the lucky winner.

The 37-year-old mum of five studied Social Science and Humanities at Dudley College, and began her Planning degree at Birmingham City University in September.

Applications open for the 2022 Scholarship on Monday 3^rd January. For more information please click here.

Millennium Point hosts first ever hybrid event

As part of our Hybrid and Virtual event packaging, we hosted our first ever hybrid event in May, Talking Point: The Future of Events. The conference included many discussion points from across the events sector, as well as provide valuable insights and a platform to debate the road to recovery, current trends, sustainability, and the impact of Covid-19 on customers’ relationships to events and hospitality.

The event welcomed two panels of industry experts and was hosted by events industry veteran Neil Thompson, Founder of popular event professionals network The Delegate Wranglers. You can watch the replay of the event below:

This follows on from a transformation of our Auditorium with a £350,000 investment, installing a new 10m x 3m participant stage area beneath the 16 m x 10 m giant screen to provide greater space and flexibility for panel events, presentations, and live performances.

With the launch of our Hybrid and Virtual Events package, we also upgraded our AV equipment to support that which includes an M32R digital mixing desk, intelligent LED lighting system, mounted Panasonic PTC-280 cameras and a Kramer 8×8 Matrix switcher which allows switching of screen content seamlessly.

Fans get time of their lives at movie and drinks nights

The well received Millennium Point Presents movie and drinks nights have continued to be a big success throughout 2021. Our partnership with the movie geeks, The Wine Events Company has offered more blockbuster showings including Back to the Future, Top Gun, Dirty Dancing, Rocketman and Love Actually.

With more exciting events on the way in 2022, want to get a feeling of what to expect? Check out our screening of the eighties classic Dirty Dancing below. Guests had the time of their lives with a live band, themed cocktails and movie trivia.

Millennium Point Charitable Trust reaches a £30m landmark in STEM support

In 2021 our Charitable Trust announced that it had reached a landmark £30m in STEM support to organisations across the West Midlands over the last seven years – including £4.98m in the last financial year alone.

For those that are not aware, our commercial activity that takes place in the Millennium Point building feeds back into the Millennium Point Charitable Trust. This enables the charity to donate to, invest in, and facilitate STEM-related projects, events and initiatives in the West Midlands. This has included over £2.7m in STEM grants to schools, not-for-profits and charities in Greater Birmingham and the Wider West Midlands.

To coincide with our grant programme , the trust funds £16,650 in STEM degree scholarships annually, in partnership with Birmingham City University. To date, scholarships have totalled over £83,000.

An example of the type of STEM projects we fund is showcased below.

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. 

The Millennium Point Charitable Trust has announced it has reached a landmark £30m in STEM support to organisations across the West Midlands over the last seven years – including £4.98m in the last financial year alone.

Opened in 2001, Millennium Point is a landmark public building in the Eastside of Birmingham city centre. Inside, it is home to 17 versatile event spaces including a 354-capacity Auditorium, meeting rooms and offices, and tenants, including ThinkTank and Birmingham City University (BCU).

Commercial activity that takes place in the Millennium Point building feeds back into the Millennium Point Charitable Trust. This enables the charity to donate to, invest in, and facilitate STEM-related projects, events and initiatives in the West Midlands. This has included over £2.7m in STEM grants to schools, not-for-profits and charities in Greater Birmingham and the Wider West Midlands.

In addition, the trust funds £16,650 in STEM degree scholarships annually, in partnership with Birmingham City University. To date, scholarships have totalled over £83,000.

Abbie Vlahakis, CEO of Millennium Point said: “Promoting STEM education across the region is what we do – increasing the opportunities for the next generation via some of the most exciting career paths available.

 “As a meeting and events space, the last 18 months has been incredibly challenging, but it’s fantastic that we have continued throughout to contribute to the West Midlands’ myriad of exciting STEM projects and initiatives.”

The trust has also announced an extension to the deadline for applications to the Millennium Point Charitable Trust STEM Grants Programme 2022, which is now 5pm on Friday December 17th.

Paul Hughes, Schools Manager at the Aston Villa Foundation, commented: “The STEM grant we received from the Millennium Point Trust funded our innovative STEM Stars project, which has allowed us to add a new dimension to our provision and provide children, teachers and schools the opportunity to embark on their STEM education journey helping to develop skills of the future and make a real difference.’’

With STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) funding grants of up to £20,000 available, the trust has moved the deadline to give more organisations time to apply for money that can often be life-changing for young people and their future careers.

The latest round of funding in 2021 saw a wide range of successful, creative STEM projects – from a proposal to build a fully operational light aircraft to STEM training toolkits for schools.

 Abbie Vlahakis added: “Every year we are impressed and inspired by the applications we receive for our small grants programme, and this year has been no exception – and I’d urge any organisation looking to fund an exciting STEM project in 2022 that there’s still time for their idea to be considered.”

To apply for a grant, please click here.

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.