STEM Careers Day
STEM Careers Day
As part of my STEM Ambassador role, I sometimes see posts on the STEMNet Ambassador page asking for support locally. The last careers day I did was at Wigan & Leigh College and just down the road, Deanery High School is holding an event of their own and looking for volunteers.
I didn’t go to The Deanery, I was a Hawkley Hall High School kid but it was Rachel’s old stomping ground so we had a bit of shared history there. I put my name forward and alongside two colleagues we set up our stall. My employer is always very good at promoting the apprenticeship opportunities so there was plenty of information to hand out but again, we were all amazed at the sheer volume of ‘merch’ being handed out to the kids at this event!
I recall going to a careers event when I was in college and only one in three stalls would make eye contact with you, clearly waiting for the right kind of students to come in before they broke out the branded pens and draw-string bags but here, surrounded by pens, bags, t-Shirts, games, colours and gimmicks galore it dawned on me just how much more competitive the world of work had gotten for the squishiest brains the country had to offer.
I knew from a past briefing that we were looking to boost the intake of girls into STEM roles, so we spoke briefly about how we would approach the students and try to find out one interest each of them had, compare our experience of using that kind of skill in a work setting and then explain how that might fit into our business. It worked really well and as we each had a different experience of the workplace, I think we managed to engage even the more reserved students into offering up their hopes. There were surprisingly few which we wouldn’t look to employ, as they just weren’t switched on enough to work in a fast-paced Engineering environment yet but you never know how people will turn out when they grow up, so they got a pamphlet and our best wishes for their exams regardless. The vast majority were engaged and chatty though and a credit to the teachers there, so we left thinking the country was likely to be in good hands when we eventually exit-stage-left.
I really enjoy doing these sorts of events as most of the students still think of Engineers as oil-covered Mechanics which, although an important part of its history, isn’t a true reflection of its future, or one which they could grow up to work in, so it’s good to dispel some of the myths.