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Young Graduate Trainee Opportunity in the Director General’s Services.
ESA is an equal opportunity employer, committed to achieving diversity within the workforce and creating an inclusive working environment. We therefore welcome applications from all qualified candidates irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, beliefs, age, disability or other characteristics. Applications from women are encouraged.
Post
Young Graduate Trainee for School Didactics in the Space Exploration area
This post is classified F1.
Location
ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands
Our team and mission
Under the direct authority of the Head of the ESA Education Office, the ESA Education Programme has the objective to use space as a theme to enhance the literacy and competences of young European people (from primary to PhD levels) in science and technology and to motivate them to pursue a STEM career, related to space in particular.
- The STEM Education and Outreach Unit of the ESA Education Office targets primary and secondary school teachers and students (formal education) through several activities aimed at supporting the teaching and learning of curricular STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects. Such activities include: teacher training, classroom resources and hands-on school projects, all using space as an inspiring and interdisciplinary overarching theme.
The STEM Education and Outreach Unit also runs several activities related to informal education and outreach. - In parallel, the Tertiary Education Unit of the ESA Education Office targets university students. Through its ESA Academy programme, the Tertiary Education Unit offers a number of opportunities for such students to: a) gain practical experience of real-life space projects and b) benefit from a vast portfolio of training courses in all space-related disciplines, complementing their academic education. Through the ESA Academy, the students get access to know-how and expertise of space professionals, as well as privileged access to professional space facilities.
Candidates are encouraged to visit the ESA website: http://www.esa.int
Field(s) of activity/research for the traineeship
You will operate within the scope of the STEM Education and Outreach Unit of the ESA Education Office (see bullet 1 above).
ESA Space Programmes produce a wealth of knowledge, data and expertise which hold enormous potential for enhancing the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) topics in Europe’s primary and secondary schools.
You will contribute to the didactics activities of the Unit, in particular those related to the theme of Space Exploration, by:
- supporting the development and production of space-related teaching and learning curricular resources (e.g. teacher guides, lesson modules, experiment protocols and kits, accompanying multimedia, etc), with a focus on school STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) subjects; identifying existing resources that can be translated and /or adapted;
- supporting the organisation and delivery of the European-level school projects/challenges, including: organisation of the project campaigns; maintaining cooperation with national coordinators and following up on specific actions; maintenance of information and resources to be uploaded on the corresponding web platforms and management of the official related mailbox); providing scientific/ engineering/ educational input in the production and/or update of the project-related teaching material and student kits and support their promotion/distribution; supporting the preparation and organisation of new European projects in collaboration with national partners;
- supporting the maintenance of ESA classroom resources archive/inventory;
- supporting the maintenance of the European curricular map;
- contributing to the promotion of the resources, for example by writing articles, etc.;
- supporting the organisation and delivery of ESA education events (e.g. teacher training workshops and conferences, in-flight calls with the ISS, etc.);
- interacting with ESA space experts for scientific validation purposes and to identify content, opportunities and themes relevant for the school educational context;
- facilitating direct interaction between space professionals and schools, teachers or pupils, as required.
Technical competencies
Knowledge of relevant technical domainsRelevant experience gained during internships/project workBreadth of exposure coming from past and/or current research/activitiesKnowledge of ESA and its programmes/projects
Behavioural competencies
Result Orientation
Operational Efficiency
Fostering Cooperation
Relationship Management
Continuous Improvement
Forward Thinking
Education
You should have just completed, or be in your final year of, a university course at Master’s level in a technical or scientific discipline. Addional studies/qualifications and/or experience in one of the following disciplines shall be considered an asset: school-level STEM pedagogy, didactics and teaching.
Additional requirements
You should have good interpersonal and communication skills and should be able to work in a multi-cultural environment, both independently and as part of a team.
The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another Member State language would be an asset.
During the interview motivation and overall professional perspective/career goals will also be explored.
Other information
For behavioural competencies expected from ESA staff in general, please refer to the ESA Competency Framework.
The closing date for applications is 1 March 2021.
At the Agency we value diversity and we welcome people with disabilities. Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this further please contact us at contact.human.resources@esa.int.
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Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Nationals from Latvia and Slovenia, as Associate Member States, or Canada as a Cooperating State, can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Lithuania and Slovakia as European Cooperating States (ECS).
Priority will first be given to candidates from under-represented Member States.
In accordance with the European Space Agency’s security procedures and as part of the selection process, successful candidates will be required to undergo basic screening before appointment
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