Skills Miner

Our award-winning Skills Miner game encourages young people to tackle engineering skills challenges in Minecraft – the most played game in the world. Skills Miner includes teacher notes and resources linked to all UK national curriculums, Gatsby Career Benchmarks, the Skills Builder Framework & the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

A Minecraft character in front of a plane built in game.

Project details

Why are we doing this project?

The engineering sector faces a significant skills shortage, especially among SMEs struggling to attract qualified talent. Schools are also challenged by rapid technological advancements, making it difficult to educate students about STEM careers. Many students are unaware of diverse STEM pathways and lack relatable role models. Skills Miner addresses this gap by using Minecraft Education to introduce fundamental engineering concepts and showcase exciting career options.

About the project

Skills Miner features eight Minecraft Education games designed for students aged 8-14, covering four Aerospace scenarios, one Home Energy scenario, and three Vertical Farming scenarios. Each game includes problem-solving activities linked to real-world engineering sectors and promotes STEM learning while providing insights into sustainable solutions for global resource challenges.

Project lead

Tabby Hanlon-Scott

Sector Engagement Lead

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Project status

The Skills Miner games are fully developed and actively enhancing STEM education in classrooms.

The eight Skills Miner games are available for download from our website, accompanied by comprehensive delivery support, including lesson notes, presentations, and worksheets. We are currently promoting the resource to schools, careers hubs, STEM organisations, and alternative provisions, including SEND and hospital schools, to expand its reach and ensure diverse student access to this valuable STEM resource.

Accredited by Skills Builder, the program aligns with UK curriculums, UN Sustainability Goals, and Gatsby Benchmarks. Our outreach efforts will also focus on increasing partnerships with educational institutions and organisations to further integrate Skills Miner into STEM curricula across the UK.

December 2022

Launched Skills Miner.

April 2023

Released Welsh language version of Skills Miner.

Project outputs

92%

of Skills Miner players feel they learned something new about the engineering and manufacturing sector.

88%

of Skills Miner players want to know more about careers in engineering.

88%

of Skills Miner players want to know more about careers in engineering.

94%

of teachers believe Skills Miner is beneficial to student learning.

Explore Skills Miner