Caithness and Sutherland S2 pupils given insight into Stem career opportunities
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AROUND 350 second-year pupils enjoyed a day of interactive activities at the first Caithness and Sutherland Step into Stem event.
Led by Developing the Young Workforce North Highland (DYWNH) in partnership with Dounreay and North Highland College UHI, and held over three days, it aimed to encourage these young people to study Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) and to open their eyes to the diverse range of careers that require these subjects.
The first two days held at North Highland College UHI allowed the pupils from Thurso, Wick and Farr to experience the college environment at the Engineering, Technology and Energy Centre and also to be the first pupils to attend the new Newton Room.
The third day saw the activities move to Golspie High School to allow the pupils from Dornoch and Golspie to enjoy the same experience.
There were a wide range of activities on offer including Glasgow Science Centre’s Powering the Future interactive exhibition. From the nuclear sector, Dounreay Stem ambassadors delivered Lego Education WeDo 2.0, K’Nex Bridge Building and electronic workshops, while Nuvia offered the virtual reality experience of being on top of a chimney platform and then dismantling a tall chimney stack using the virtual reality equipment.
Caithness Stem ambassadors demonstrated chemistry molecule modelling, the Science Skills Academy gave workshops on medical case studies and cheek cell DNA extraction, and Skills Development Scotland delivered a virtual reality and coding workshop.
The Institution of Civil Engineers ran a workshop on rebuilding bridges and towers, the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force were all present to deliver team working tasks relevant to their force, and Budding Engineers used wooden puzzles with varying levels of difficulty to assemble and then used computer-aided design to create a 3D model.
Lantra was on hand to provide information on land-based Stem careers and the Construction Industry Training Board took participants through a team activity designed to introduce them to skills that are utilised within construction.
Marcus Mennie, project co-ordinator for DYWNH, said: “We based this pilot project on the Big Bang event which takes place in other parts of the country and aimed it at S2 pupils as this is an important age for them to identify the many career options available when studying Stem subjects.
“Thanks to North Highland College UHI and Dounreay for working in partnership with us to co-ordinate the event, the schools for being so supportive, the employers who committed three days of their time to deliver excellent interactive activities and most of all the pupils themselves, who enthusiastically engaged in activities throughout the day and were a credit to their schools.
"Our thanks also go to the Energy Skills Partnership for its assistance in organising these events, introducing us to a range of contacts and giving valuable direction on the shape of the events.
“We propose to make this an annual event in the school calendar, taking in other industries to again broaden the pupils’ knowledge.”
