Discover Digital Programme
A practical toolkit for higher education institutions (HEIs) with an ICT and STEM focus to engage secondary school students through school visits, campus experiences, and digital outreach, supporting learners in the senior cycle of secondary education to imagine themselves in technology careers and understand the academic pathways that will lead them there.
How the toolkit works
The toolkit is organised as a flexible, non-prescriptive set of steps and formats. It structures engagement into two mirroring frameworks: STEM On Tour (bringing higher education into schools and community settings) and STEM In (bringing students into a higher education institution through campus visits, open days, and themed events). HEIs may implement either framework independently or combine both for greater impact.
Start here
- Establish essential preparation (contacts + GDPR).
- Choose your delivery format: STEM On Tour and/or STEM In.
- Plan evaluation and feedback to measure outcomes.
- Use digital outreach and communication to build awareness and follow-up.
Roadmap
Use this roadmap if you do not have time to read the full deliverable. The one-pagers mirror the toolkit flow and provide a practical checklist for implementation.
Open linked resource — same destination as clicking the image above.
- Essential Preparation for STEM Engagement Activities
- STEM On Tour
- STEM In
- Evaluation and Feedback
- Digital Outreach and Communication
- 1 - Register of Processing Activities
- 2 - STEM On Tour - Roles and Responsibilities
- 3 - STEM On Tour - Implementation Timeline
- 4 - STEM In Roles and Responsibilities
- 5 - STEM In - Implementation Timeline
- 6 - Evaluation and Feedback - Scoreboard
- 7 - Digital Outreach and Communication - Schedule
- 8 - Questionnaires Examples
- 9 - HEI Presentation Guide
- 10 - HEI Presentation Template
Share your activity and build the pipeline
Register school visits, campus visits, open days, workshops, and outreach actions on the EU Code Week platform to support visibility, coordination, and cumulative impact across the ecosystem.
About this toolkit
The programme serves as a bridge between secondary and higher education at a critical stage in the student journey. It addresses two common challenges: students who feel overwhelmed by the range of choices available and students who disengage because higher education feels distant or irrelevant. The toolkit provides structured guidance, adaptable frameworks and models, and opportunities to experience what a future educational path in STEM can look and feel like, while also engaging families and key stakeholders within secondary education.
At a glance
- Designed for HEIs specialising in ICT and STEM that engage directly with secondary schools to raise awareness of degree opportunities and inspire interest in advanced digital careers among secondary school students.
- Promotes a combination of activities such as campus visits, discovery days, and digital career orientation sessions that together provide a well-rounded experience and help students to gain first-hand insight into both the academic and social environment, and to raise awareness about the opportunities offered by higher education.
- Includes guidance for outreach, logistics, materials, evaluation, and digital communication.
Toolkit access
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