International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education 39/3 Developing a strategy for student retention

difficult. At the same time, we are urged by the UK Government to recruit from a wider pool. This has necessitated a review of how we go about recruiting and retaining our students. This paper sets out some of our underpinning ideas. Student retention needs can be focussed on a number of stages. First, school-level motivation, starting at secondary, and probably even primary school level. Second, recruitment of students of the appropriate calibre, motivation and experience. Third, student induction, including an overview of subject and programme. Fourth, ongoing student support. Keywords assessment; strategy; student induction; student motivation; student retention With wastage rates in science and engineering often in excess of 20%, for many of us the issue of student retention is of future viability. For others the main issue is of the human cost of so many students missing out on an opportunity. Moreover, the decline in output of graduate scientists and engineers is being felt in industry, in teaching and other areas of employment. And we feel ourselves between the pincers of government pressure to process more students and a decline in the numbers of pupils for whom science subjects are an attractive option. So we feel the need t