Alastair MacGregor: 'CREST encourages young people to explore ideas, ask questions and discover where STEM can take them'

Alastair MacGregor is the CEO of SSERC, a national organisation supporting STEM education across Scotland and beyond. SSERC works with educators, technicians, schools, colleges, local authorities and partners to improve the quality, safety and impact of practical STEM learning.

Their work includes professional learning, specialist technical and health and safety advice, and programmes that create opportunities for young people to engage with STEM, develop their skills and connect with the wider STEM community.

SSERC’s partnership with CREST mean that those who achieve a STEM Leader or Young STEM Leader Award can also submit their work for a CREST Award in Scotland, for no additional charge. The deadline to apply is August 2027.

The Young STEM Leader Programme (YSLP) is one of our major national programmes, which gives young people the opportunity to inspire, lead and mentor others through STEM activities. The formal levels of YSLP are SCQF credit-rated and levelled, providing learners with recognised qualifications alongside the wider skills they develop through participation.

At the heart of all of this is a desire to inspire confidence, curiosity and ambition in both educators and learners and to create meaningful pathways into further learning, training and STEM careers.

For SSERC, there was an immediate and very natural fit between CREST and the Young STEM Leader Programme.

Both programmes recognise that some of the most powerful STEM learning happens when young people are actively involved – investigating, problem-solving, communicating, leading and inspiring others.

What makes the partnership particularly valuable is the additional recognition it can provide for learners. Young people completing YSLP can use their achievement to gain an appropriate CREST Award, meaning that the same high-quality STEM activity can contribute to complementary forms of recognition.

That creates a very powerful learner journey. A young person can develop and demonstrate leadership, communication, planning and STEM skills through YSLP; achieve a nationally recognised and credit-rated qualification; gain UCAS Tariff points at Level 6; and also receive a CREST Award recognising their STEM achievement.

Inspiring, empowering and recognition.

CREST encourages young people to explore ideas, ask questions and discover where STEM can take them. Working on a project gives young people ownership of their learning and opportunities to develop confidence, independence and problem-solving skills.

CREST provides meaningful external recognition of the effort, skills and achievement demonstrated by young people. When combined with programmes such as YSLP, that recognition becomes even more valuable.

Partnership is critical. By bringing together education, industry, professional bodies, charities and STEM organisations can create much richer and more connected pathways.

I think we should increasingly look at how programmes can complement one another rather than operate in isolation. Where there is clear alignment in learning, skills and outcomes, we should find ways to recognise achievement across organisational boundaries.

By working together in this way, we make participation more worthwhile for young people and demonstrate that STEM engagement can contribute directly to recognised qualifications, personal development and future progression.

CREST has an established and respected track record of giving young people meaningful STEM experiences and recognising their achievements. For organisations already delivering high-quality STEM programmes, partnership with CREST can add further value and recognition for learners.

That combination strengthens the overall learner journey and reinforces something I think is extremely important: when young people invest their time, enthusiasm and effort in STEM, we should work collectively to ensure that achievement is recognised as widely and meaningfully as possible.

For organisations committed to developing future talent, widening participation and encouraging more young people to see STEM as something for them, there is a very natural fit with CREST.