Project title: Underrepresented students and the Repair Cafe
Project summary:
The MAKERS project at UWE Bristol enhances belonging among diverse engineering students by promoting sustainability and repair activities while addressing the Climate and Ecological Emergency. Launched in 2023, the monthly Repair Café teaches hands-on repair skills, improving students' identity as engineers and providing opportunities for social interaction.
The guide and toolkit detail how to implement the MAKERS projects in other higher or further education institutions, with guidance on key steps and considerations to enhance belonging and hands-on skills, particularly benefiting underrepresented students in engineering. This includes establishing local sustainability and community partnerships, fostering diversity and inclusion on campus and in the community, and monitoring and reporting impact for underrepresented groups. The project also engages local communities, supporting a Just Transition through skills development and youth education.
The project particularly reached underserved groups, with 32% of the 30 regular student participants being women (compared to 16% in engineering) and 77% from Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic backgrounds. MAKERS has prevented 248kg of waste and 1.6 tonnes of CO2 emissions, and co-developed projects with 17 organisations. It has delivered workshops to over 70 community members and was shortlisted for a Green Gown Award in the Benefitting Society category.
The aims of the MAKERS project
The MAKERS project aims to develop a guide and toolkit for implementing similar initiatives in other higher and further education institutions. This will focus on enhancing belonging and hands-on skills for diverse engineering students, with an emphasis on sustainability and community partnerships. The guide will cover establishing local sustainability projects, fostering inclusion on campus and within the community, and monitoring impact.
MAKERS promotes key engineering skills through repair and tinkering, boosting diversity by encouraging students to feel a sense of belonging and enhancing their employability. Research indicates that students involved in these activities gain confidence, motivation, and reduced social isolation. The project also focuses on sustainability, teaching repair skills that help reduce waste and conserve resources, which can attract more diverse students to Maker Spaces.
The MAKERS project is expected to support universities’ commitment to sustainability by addressing environmental and societal challenges through waste reduction, resource conservation, and community engagement. It raises awareness about repair and making, influencing students, staff, industry partners, and the wider community to rethink consumption and waste in the global supply chain. The project focuses on underrepresented groups, aligning with universities’ role in creating an inclusive and sustainable future.
The legacy of MAKERS is in producing graduates who are technically skilled and proficient in communication and teamwork. The project aims to support other universities in embedding repair and community workshops into Student Experience activities, ensuring students benefit from a sense of belonging, community connections, employability, and climate action.
The full report can be found and read here on the University of the West of England website.