Education laboratory equipment and chemical supplier Scientific and Chemical (SciChem) is supporting the UK National Science Learning Centre in York with an GBP18,000 sponsorship deal
"The National Science Learning Centre is a real beacon and focuses on innovative and inspirational science teaching".
"The Centre thoroughly deserves all the encouragement industry can afford it," said Tim Avery, education sales director of Scientific and Chemical.
"We are delighted to be helping with our sponsorship".
This is the second consecutive year that Scientific and Chemical has sponsored the training of laboratory technicians at the state-of-the-art centre.
"The SciChem sponsorship offers technicians the opportunity to attend courses that they might otherwise not be able to afford," explained Simon Quinnell, senior technician and professional development leader at the National Science Learning Centre.
"All three of our technicians' courses are being supported this year by SciChem.
"These include 'co-leaders in education', a course aimed at senior technicians who want to raise their professional standards and hone their training skills; 'skills for new technicians' which is aimed at those who have had little or no training and 'technicians as demonstrators' which aims to pass on the practical skill required to carry out inspirational demonstrations and experiments in schools.
"By returning really exciting science experiments to the classroom we hope to fire increasing numbers of pupils with enthusiasm for the subject".
Development of the national network of Science Learning Centres was prompted by a dual need: firstly to increase the number of students going on to study science at A-level and beyond, secondly to ensure the UK has a scientifically literate society capable of understanding the increasing role science has to play in our everyday lives.
Scientific and Chemical is the UK's largest independent supplier of laboratory equipment and chemicals to education.
It operates a dedicated e-commerce website and has four strategically located branches in the UK and Ireland in addition to its central distribution hub at Bilston in the West Midlands.
The company celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2007.
