Safa Bibi from Small Heath has won a fully funded degree at Birmingham City University (BCU) after being named the winner of this year’s life-changing Millennium Point Charitable Trust Scholarship.

Safa was studying Applied Science at South and City College, Birmingham and will now study for a degree in Computer Science at BCU from September. She developed an interest in the computing world in secondary school and was further inspired by speeches from women in STEM. Thanks to the support from Millennium Point, Safa has the opportunity to study a subject she is deeply passionate about. She hopes to be an inspiration to others to follow their passion regardless of their religion or race.

Promoting STEM education in the West Midlands

Each year, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust funds tuition fees for an undergraduate degree in partnership with Birmingham City University at their Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment. The faculty covers over 20 different courses across computing, digital technology, engineering, and the built environment.

This makes Safa the ninth winner of the renowned scholarship following a rigorous assessment process. The Millennium Point Trust Scholarship has already funded eight inspiring young people from the region through their degrees, including last year’s winner Hatem Kesseir from Yardley who is also studying Computer Science at BCU.

To choose the winners, the judging panel consisted of Abbie Vlahakis (CEO of Millennium Point), Hanifa Shah (Pro-Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean of Birmingham City University), Asima Adnan (previous winner of the scholarship), and Mike Ridler (ElevationX).

Finalists didn’t leave empty handed, with Abigail Guest, Henrikas Varanauskas, Ryjhorn Weekes, and winner Safa Bibi receiving a laptop to further help them in their studies.

‘Safa embodies everything we want to achieve at Millennium Point’

Safa said, “Winning the scholarship has made me feel seen and heard by more than just my community of family and friends, so I feel like I can do more and achieve more. I hope that me winning the scholarship empowers other women and ethnic minorities to start applying for scholarships and these roles in STEM.”

Abbie Vlahakis, CEO of Millennium Point and head judge, added, “Safa embodies everything we want to achieve at Millennium Point. We want more young people to be inspired to go into STEM, and we could see from Safa that she immediately wanted to change the world. She wanted to change people’s views and get more young people to follow in her footsteps. To see her so overwhelmed with happiness made us elated.

STEM is incredibly important, not only to our region but to the UK economy. We are currently in a digital age where STEM skills are required across every sector, and so we are keen to get more young people into these roles so they can go on and have truly rewarding careers.”

The scholarship competition is one of the flagship initiatives of the Millennium Point Charitable Trust. Last year, £4.3m in commercial profits from the landmark Millennium Point public building and multi-award-winning venue in the Eastside of Birmingham city centre was invested into projects, events, and initiatives which support the growth of STEM education and industry in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands.

Apply for the 2024 Scholarship

Each year, the Millennium Point Charitable Trust jointly funds an undergraduate degree in partnership with Birmingham City University at their Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment, which covers over 20 different courses across computing, digital technology, engineering and the built environment. We’re helping people across the region unlock their future in STEM.

Millennium Point’s 2024 Scholarship application is now open. For more information on how to apply or get involved in the Scholarship program please visit www.millenniumpoint.org.uk/scholarship.

Millennium Point wins Most Versatile Venue (Up to 1,000 theatre style) at the Conference & Events 2023 awards. This is the first national award to be won by Millennium Point and we’re absolutely ecstatic of what we have achieved.

On Friday 30th June the awards were held in the stunning Old Billingsgate building in London. The day consisted of an array of venues and events being recognised for their excellence in the industry.

Nominated alongside outstanding venues

Organisations nominated for most versatile venue (up to 1,000 theatre style) were –

It was an honour to be nominated amongst other amazing venues around the UK.

From hosting COVID vaccination centres to international sports teams, major art installations to charity events, we are proud of what’s been achieved

Over the past couple of years we have reinvested into our building to expand our venue spaces that align with our client demands. Driven by our passionate and highly skilled team we continue with out of the box ideas that make events truly stand out.

The versatility of our venue and flexibility of our team and services means that a client can host a breakfast talk in the morning, a conference in the afternoon and a formal dinner in the evening all in one place.

In the last 12 months alone, we have hosted the likes of Gaia by Luke Jerram, Kenya House during the Commonwealth Games, IFS Connect and VSFighting to name a few.

We have also launched our own MP Presents events to utilise our 354-seater Auditorium screen when not in use by our clients and to show off the capabilities of one of the biggest screens in Birmingham.

Rebecca Delmore, Commercial Director said ‘We are thrilled to have won the Most Versatile Venue Award. This award reflects all of the hard work the team have put into adapting our building to serve a wider variety of events. We strive to provide the best experience for our clients and it is fantastic to be recognised for this.’

Comments from the judges at the Conference & Events Awards 2023 included statements such as ‘Impressive, versatile space’ & ‘Exceptional flexibility and strong client feedback makes this entry very strong’.

Keep up to date with Millennium Point

With the rest of 2023 to go, we’re excited to see what happens next! Keep up to date with the latest through our blogs and what’s on.

Scholarship funds are a great way to help support students throughout their university journey by offering financial help. 

If you’re interested in creating your own scholarship fund, then look no further as we delve into how to create a scholarship in these 4 simple steps.

What is a scholarship fund? 

Scholarship funds are a charitable grant that helps students cover the costs of their education. Those who receive scholarships tend to use them to cover the costs of textbooks and tuition fees. 

Step 1: How are you going to fund your scholarship?

One of the first steps you’ll need to take when creating a scholarship fund is deciding how much money you want to contribute and whether you will solely fund it or if you want to accept donations. 

If you create a scholarship fund on your own, it’s likely that you’ll incur extra costs on top of paying the scholarship money to the winner. 

Other costs could include:

If you decide to go down the route of accepting funding from donors then using an online platform is an easy way to get people to donate. Having an online platform will help create an authoritative and trustworthy figure for your fund, allowing donors to find out information and make donations in the same place.

Money can also be raised through fundraising activities like:

Step 2: Decide who you want to help

When creating a scholarship fund, it’s important to identify the audience you are trying to help. You may want to help as many people as possible, but you need to be realistic about who you can help most and how far the money in your fund can go.

When creating your audience you need to ensure it’s broad enough to not be discriminatory and to attract as many people as possible to the scholarship you’re offering. 

Your audience could include:

Step 3: How do you plan to advertise your scholarship?

It’s extremely important to advertise your scholarship as it will allow it to reach as many people as possible, while helping you gain applications from people that meet your criteria. 

Creating a website to showcase your scholarship, as well as allowing people to donate to your fund or apply to the scholarship is a great way to advertise it. You could also use social media to advertise the run up to applications opening or closing dates. This is a great way to advertise, as you’re more likely to reach your intended audience, as younger people, typically students, are using social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram to look for things.

Step 4: Decide how you will review applications

Once you’ve completed the previous steps, it’s time to wait for the deadline to pass and start reviewing applications. 

If you gained a small amount of applications, you may be able to go through them all yourself, however if you received a large sum of applications you may need to hire people to help you sift through them.

How can Millennium Point help those looking for a scholarship?

Here at Millennium Point, our Charitable Trust has created a STEM scholarship for those looking to study courses in Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment.

To be eligible for the scholarship you will need to:

Keep up to date on our Scholarship page to see when applications open!

 

We may be known as home to Birmingham Film Festival and a great destination to have a film showing. But did you know our wonderful building has also been used as a backdrop for several films and tv shows?

From zombie hoards to crime fighting, we take a look back at our favourite moments.

Can you escape the aliens?

Invasion Planet Earth is about how a man loses his faith after his daughter dies, and on the day he finds out his wife is pregnant again, aliens invade the Earth.

Would be good to keep it upbeat so it doesn’t trigger anyone. Would it be appropriate to instead say:
Invasion Planet Earth follows a man who finds out his wife is pregnant and aliens are invading Earth…on the same day!

Directed by Simon Cox, various locations around Birmingham were used to complete the film, with over 900 Brummies even used for extras. Millennium Point’s Atrium was the perfect place for a chase scene down the open Atrium staircase.

Watch below for a behind the scene in Millennium Point

Can good win against evil?

As Strange as Angels is the story of when a talented artist’s destiny to change the world is destroyed, people from the future come back to restore his true path. But their mission isn’t be simple.

Directed by Matt Cannon, the film is also known as Revolution X. Viewers may spot a few scenes in the film that look familiar. Millennium Point’s glass elevators were used, although you really can’t miss them as they’re marked with a giant red X.

Watch the trailer below

The original home of Line of Duty

Steve Arnott, Ted Hastings, and Kate Fleming all called Millennium Point home in the first series of BBC crime drama Line of Duty.

Jed Mercurio’s gripping series centred on the efforts of a police anti-corruption unit to tackle corrupted coppers and transformed our meeting complex into interrogation rooms as the case of DCI Tony Gates unfolded.

Millennium Point was used for internal shots of the police headquarters – most notably in episode three of the first series – where you can see our iconic Atrium, glass elevators and space-age looking escalators.

The first series was famously filmed in Birmingham with several other landmarks and familiar sites, including the Grade II listed pub in the Jewellery Quarter, The Queens Arms, and Broad Street, is also spotted in several scenes.

The show has gone on to be recognised as one of BBC’s most successful projects and we are proud to have played our part in its opening series.

Once you’ve filmed with Millennium Point, why not host your premiere with us?

Accommodating up to 354 delegates, the Auditorium at Millennium Point is the perfect location for conferences, lectures, product launches, AGM’s, award ceremonies and film screenings. Featuring a 30m2 stage and a giant screen, this space is perfect for making a big impression. The space has multiple branding opportunities such as changing light settings to match your brand colours to truly make it tailored to you.

The Auditorium has upgraded AV equipment which involves a M32R digital mixing desk with 40 input channels, high fidelity audio, intelligent LED lighting system and Panasonic PTC-280 cameras controlled remotely for high quality live streaming. The Auditorium also includes the new Panasonic PT-RQ25 projector which will show your content on the screen in 4K. When booking Auditorium, you will also receive support from Millennium Point’s on-site AV technician to support throughout your event.

Still not convinced? Why not look at the premiere Bader Media Entertainment CIC held last year for their world premiere of horror film The Shimian.

Choose Millennium Point to shoot your cinematic masterpiece

With multiple spaces, both private and public, Millennium Point has a range of rooms that can be customised into any set-up.

Get in touch with our friendly events team to see how we can help today!

Background

Lyng Primary School’s vision is to provide a nurturing, happy, and safe environment. Surrounded by caring adults, pupils are provided with opportunities to become the best they can be. The school strive to ensure that every pupil leaves feeling confident, self-motivated, and independent so that they are ready for the next stage in their lives.

Aim of the project

Lyng Primary School’s aim was to engage all pupils in STEM by encouraging them to become ‘Lyng Architects’. They were given a design brief asking them to design and build their perfect Lyng community. The brief included a strong enthesis on being eco-friendly, promoting rewilding, and sustainability. The pupils responded with innovative designs for the community.

The designs and creations were achieved by using CAD software. The work was then 3D-printed to display in the school foyer alongside handmade examples. The project was also supported by parents who came in to help their children build their designs.

The Millennium Point Trust Grant provided the grant that allowed the school to purchase 3D printers, laptops and resources to make the project happen.

What impact has it made?

Over 500 students benefited from the Millennium Point Trust Grant. It has provided staff with amazing opportunities to plan and deliver an exciting STEM project for their class. Over 95% of students never have had the opportunity to use 3D printers or CAD software before. The grant allowed them to learn about career options that may not have been accessible to them prior.

Parents who got involved in the project had high praises for the project, one parent said ‘kids get more fun by seeing their parents working with them inside school, sitting with them together’. Another said ‘it was nice to be invited into school and involved with my child’s afternoon, I thoroughly enjoyed it! Thank you.’

Governors were also invited to the ‘Inspire’ afternoons, one comment received mentioned ‘I really enjoyed the afternoon, it’s always great to come in and get involved with what they are working on. I thought the project was brilliant and the children had so many great ideas, I think there might be some budding engineers amongst them and clearly some pupils are cut out to be supervisors! It was great to see them all working together and making their ideas come to life. Really great event, would love to see more of these.’

Get involved with Millennium Point Trust

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.

Background

Sandwell College is the largest provider of 16-19 year old study programmes in the West Midlands. Their mission is to ensure that every young person has the opportunity to reach their full potential, achieving a successful career in their chosen field.

Aim of the project

The aim of the project was to set up a 3D Immersive Learning Lab, introducing exciting, engaging and innovative STEM-related learning projects across the colleges curriculum, using emerging technologies such as virtual reality programming.

A series of workshops will be run to inspire students to become more engaged in STEM, promoting careers through virtual reality workplace tours, connecting with those who previously might not of seen STEM careers.

What impact has it made?

The project has begun with great success, giving students a fantastic insight into 3D modelling and virtual reality activities around STEM.

The college has partnered with Cadbury College in Kings Norton to use some of their facilities to host the equipment for students.

Through the use of iPads and VR, the students have taken part in a number of exciting activities to enhance their STEM learning. These include entering new worlds and visualising scientific concepts and diagrams, such as life-sized DNA structures.

They have also tested out Augmented Reality Cubes, which combined with a VR headset allows the students to hold the cube and they visualise holographic 3D models (such as engines, the human brain and CAD drawings) in the palm of their hands. As they rotate these around they can view them from all angles.

Moving forward the college are looking to attract more students to study STEM courses, using the equipment to engage them in a fun and effective way.

Get involved with Millennium Point Trust

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.

Building on the success of last year’s SciSPORT event, which saw 1,000 visitors visit Millennium Point. We are excited to announce our next event in our SciSERIES, SciMED!

Last year we welcomed students from 28 schools across the region to participate in a range of thrilling activities, workshops, and talks delivered by organisations and personalities from the world of science and sport.

To get an idea what’s in store, watch below how the SciSPORT went –

This event is open to upper primary (years 5 & 6) and lower secondary (years 7 & 8) school students. To confirm your place, email our friendly Trust team [email protected].

SciMED – showcasing the importance of STEM in the medical industry

The SciMED event that takes place Monday 10th July, seeks to inspire the next generation of STEM students with all things ‘medical’ – from the traditional careers such as doctors, veterinary, and dentistry, through to wider STEM related sectors such as psychology, health, wellbeing, and pharmaceuticals, whilst showcasing technology and engineering advances in all associated sectors.

Students will be able to explore:

– Interactive workshops

– Sports and fitness

– Medical activities

The day also includes visits to the award winning ThinkTank Science Museum!

Sign up to book your school’s place today and discover all things STEM and Medical.

Get your company involved

There is still time to get involved with SciMED with your team. Promote your company and showcase your innovations to young people from schools across the region. With lots of exciting exhibitions already joining us, now is the time to book your place to ensure you get the chance to connect with the future of your industry.

This is just one of the ways we’re supporting STEM in the region

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 in our brochure here.

Exhibitions are a great way to show off your products or skills, while being able to network and meet new potential clients. They’re also a great way to reach new audiences and boost sales.

Due to this we’ve put together a few tips to help you plan your next event.

How to plan an exhibition 

Art exhibitions are successful when planned carefully. This includes creating a visual plan and focusing on your marketing. When planning an exhibition you should consider:

If you’re looking to plan a trade show you want to make sure you fully promote your unique selling point (USP). When planning your show you want to think about:

Other things to consider include:

The venue 

Your venue determines the number of guests and exhibitors you can have at your event. You also want to make sure you choose a venue that reinforces the image you want to portray. 

Marketing

When planning an exhibition you need to consider how much money and effort you will need to put toward marketing. This will include marketing to exhibitors and attendees to persuade them on why they should attend/take part. 

Are you going to include any special guests?

Guest speakers are great for conducting seminars or talks . This can provide great talking points throughout the exhibition helping to boost networking and increase your clientele list. 

How are attendees going to get there?

When looking for a venue it’s important that you book somewhere that has easy access, transport links and parking. This will help increase attendee numbers as they’re more likely to attend if they can get there easily. 

Why host an exhibition in Birmingham? 

There are many benefits to hosting an exhibition in Birmingham, such as it having great access to transport links. There are many bus and train routes, as well as Birmingham airport being a short distance from the city centre for those travelling internationally. 

There’s also a wide range of hotel options to choose from to suit all budgets. This is especially useful if you have people travelling long distances.

Furthermore, Birmingham has loads of cultural spots to offer, such as museums and galleries, which is especially great if you’re holding an art exhibition as this will further emphasise the event you’re holding. 

Another great reason for holding your exhibition in Birmingham is the large number of businesses in the area. This poses great opportunities to increase attendance and further boost networking and future client opportunities.

Why choose Millennium Point to host your exhibition?

Millennium Point is situated right in the city centre of Birmingham near Moor Street and New Street station, as well as having lots of bus routes nearby. Those travelling by plane can also go straight from Birmingham International station to New Street station in just a couple of minutes, making it an ideal location to hold your next exhibition.

Hosting your exhibition at Millennium Point is also a great option as it’s close to various hotels like the Clayton Hotel, meaning attendees don’t need to travel far before and after the exhibition ends.

Millennium Point is also introducing 6 new spaces located next to the Auditorium that are perfect for training, presentation and exhibition purposes. If you’re looking for a space to hold smaller training events or presentations then our Curzon rooms 1-5 are perfect for you. However, if you’re looking for a larger space then our Curzon Suite might be a better option for you. 

Get in touch with us today to discover what room is perfect for you.

Background

Wood End Primary School aims to inspire confidence, happy, resilient learners who strive to be the best they can be through an engaging curriculum delivered in an inclusive environment.

They strive for positive partnerships between school, parents and their community and a shared understanding of their aims, being approachable, authentic, and honest.

Aim of the project

The school wanted to purchase Lego Spike Kits, with enough for a whole class  to work in pairs to create and program moving models.

They wanted a project that would help the pupils develop a love of engineering and computing, alongside an appreciation of how these skills are used in the world around them. From this the children would see the impact of STEM and the career options available to them.

What impact has it made?

The club has started with great success. The pupils have already made and controlled various  Lego  structures – such as carousels. The club also has a great intake of female pupils, who are traditionally underrepresented in the field, and are interested in learning how to code.

On some sessions, the school branched out invites to the pupils’ parents to join in.

One parent from the session said ‘STEM’s important to children’s education because it gives them a big scope of careers when they’re older’.

Their first project was how to program a space rover to move and detect an object. At the beginning, the pupils will explore the purpose of a rover looking at real life examples of Mars rover and the engineers who have created them. They then went on to build and control a rover including a motion and tilt sensor and programmed the model using coding and debugging.

After the initial project, the pupils will launch the design and make competition on how to find solutions to solve ‘real life’ problems. Along with parent workshops, they will also invite people from the industry to talk about their STEM career choice and have Q&A sessions with the pupils. Parents will also be invited to judge the winner of the competition.

Get involved with Millennium Point Trust

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.

 

STEM education is an important part of a school’s curriculum and has a huge impact on the way that children learn and develop.

This blog will explore everything you need to know about STEM education and learning, to help raise awareness of its importance and encourage others to implement it.

What is STEM? 

STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and maths. However, rather than teaching the subjects separately, STEM education uses a combined approach to encourage and better equip students to consider careers within the industry. 

Why is STEM important?

STEM is important in teaching children the skills that are essential to their development. 

With the constant improvements and new developments in technology, it is becoming more important for children to learn skills such as computer programming and computational thinking as well as media literacy. 

Furthermore, STEM encourages children to ask questions and solve real world problems, helping to prepare them for later education and adult life. 

Benefits of STEM

STEM education has many benefits for children, such as:

Encourages creativity

STEM education encourages creativity and innovation, allowing new technologies, solutions and ideas to emerge. 

The teaching of STEM not only helps children’s development and learning but also helps the population and planet to develop as well.

Builds resilience

The teaching of STEM allows students to experiment and experience failure. Due to this, children become resilient through learning to get back up and try again. 

Promotes teamwork

STEM education doesn’t split children apart because of their varying education levels. Instead, it encourages children of all levels to work together to learn and develop new skills, while building a community that’s willing to learn new things.

Encourages use of technology

STEM teaches the power of technology and innovation, helping children learn various technologies. This will also promote adaptability, allowing children to take on challenges head on rather than hesitating or worrying about changes.

Impacts of early STEM education

Early STEM education helps children build various important skills that they may otherwise miss if they weren’t taught it.

Benefits of early STEM education include:

Hands on experience

It would be a mistake to think that STEM education only focuses on equations and complex experiments. It also focuses on hands-on experiences, providing a gateway into subjects like maths and science. 

Early STEM teaching could include things like making paper aeroplanes or building a rocket out of recycled materials. This helps to embed creative, problem solving and ideation skills, allowing children to further develop throughout education.

Memory retention

Teaching STEM at an early age can help children improve their memory retention. STEM education has a typical retention rate of 80-90% whereas traditional education only has a 5% retention rate.

Building children’s memory retention as early as possible gives them a great headstart when it comes to learning and developing throughout their education. 

Language development 

STEM education can help children’s language development. This will help increase vocabulary and help improve children’s conversational skills, while helping them learn a new subject.

Collaborative education

Many STEM activities involve collaborative learning, encouraging children to work as a team and develop conversational and explanatory skills. 

Prepares them for higher education

All of the skills children learn in early STEM education prepares them with skills needed for higher education. 

Instilling curiosity and creativity will also encourage children to study STEM subjects in further education and develop future careers.  

How can parents implement STEM in early childhood?

STEM education can be easily implemented into a child’s daily routine. This can be done through:

How to implement STEM into the school curriculum

STEM education is essential for children’s learning and development, which is why it needs to be implemented into schools’ curriculum more often. Stem education can be taught in a variety of ways, such as:

Project based learning

This involves children working on a project for a specific period of time where they can learn new skills and apply their knowledge to solve a problem. Teachers should allow children to take full control of the project, which could involve building a model bridge or designing an app.

Inquiry based learning

Inquiry based learning encourages students to ask as many questions as they like relating to the subject they’re learning. This helps them develop critical thinking, questioning and problem solving skills.

This is another student led learning practice that involves teachers prompting reflection and curiosity.

How to engage students in STEM

Currently, STEM industries have a small number of graduates, however a lack of diversity is an even bigger issue for the industry.

So how can we engage more students in STEM to help reduce the diversity gap and increase the number of STEM graduates?

Diversity and inclusion

Research shows that after GCSEs only 35% of female students decide to carry on studying STEM subjects, with only 25% of females carrying on with it after university. 

To encourage more females to study STEM subjects we could:

To learn more about the gender gap in STEM and what can be done to help close it, read our blog.

Tips for teachers

Introducing STEM focussed lessons into the curriculum can be slightly daunting. That’s why we’ve written a few tips to help those teaching STEM lessons.

What is Millennium Point doing to support STEM education?

The STEM round table was created by The Millennium Point Charitable Trust to bring together STEM industries, primary and secondary education, further education and not-for-profits in STEM sectors. 

The working group aims:

Get in touch with our Trust Team today to see how you can get involved in supporting the growth of STEM education.