Abstract:

Given the number of students in the European Union in 2019 enrolled in degrees known as STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering the use of service-learning methology in order to promote vocations in STEM degrees and equal opportunities is a possibility that deserves being studied. The experience was carried out in collaboration between the School of Civil Engineers at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and secondary schools in the Madrid region. Areas with a marked difference of income levels as well as educational level of the parents were chosen. University students presented their final degree projects in a series of conferences, consisting of a construction and civil engineering project, to secondary school students, so that they learnt what Civil Engineering is and the projects that are developed under the scope of it. The results obtained were satisfactory according to the development of the activity and the fulfilment of the pre-set objectives. Almost 90% of secondary education students expressed that they knew better the professional activity of a civil engineer after the conferences and showed greater interest in studying engineering (28%) after attending to the conferences.

Keywords:

Learning-service, stem vocations, gender equality, equal opportunities.