A week of STEM for M-SParc
To celebrate the BBC’s 100th birthday I was invited as a guest speaker to Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy. I was fortunate to be selected as part of a panel to share experiences, educational and careers pathways with Year 8,9 and 10. The panelists included news broadcaster Iolo Cheung and Owain Roberts, Director of Llaeth y Llan Dairy in Conwy and hosted by the very talented presenter Mel Owen. It was great hearing from Iolo about what he enjoyes about his job role and how Owain diversified from traditional dairy forming to creating yogurt.
I had an amazing day at Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy, not only discussing the role of women in STEM in general and giving the students some advice and guidance on stepping onto the STEM ladder, but also answering their questions about careers. However, after I shared the fact that as a youngster I wanted to an animator, I was faced with the question…’what was your favourite animation growing up?’, I pondered and could only just remember that far back!! I was shocked and mortified that no one (even staff) had heard of Thundercats!!
The aim of the event was to open students eyes and minds to the different careers and careers paths open to them, in meeting that aim the event was indeed a huge success.
Thank you to BBC Cymru for the invite and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Roll on the next 100 years
Clwb Sparci is back! The afterschool STEM Club!!
The aim of Clwb Sparci is to encourage, inform and motivate people about the STEM sector. Clwb Sparci includes all things STEM including different careers and job roles. To meet this target, we aim to work with employers to address the STEM skills gap through early intervention, working with primary school students, skills and careers based activities with secondary schools and bringing the family together to enjoy STEM!!
Clwb Sparci gives young people the skills and creativity to experiment with different aspects of the sector such as building structures through engineering, understanding the power of the mind through psychology and science and an awareness of the energy sector by addressing tasks and problems to tackle the climate crisis. Last week, the FIRST Clwb Sparci of the 2022/23 academic calendar was held at M-SParc and what a fantastic time we had! The students used coding to steer the sphero around the maze! They did an amazing job as this was no easy feat, even for the more experienced coders among us.
Just when we thought that task was difficult, they were then asked to create a chariot using their engineering, maths and creative skills, manoeuvring this around the maze! The young people did a valiant job, never giving up and tackling the task head on!!
Well done to everybody!
M-SParc were out in force again on Friday, the 28th of October! This time at Codi STEM in Coleg Menai, Llangefni.
The event was aimed at year 9 students in Anglesey secondary school to inform and inspire them about STEM careers. One of the objectives of course was to encourage students to choose STEM subjects for their GCSE options, with the event allowing them to understand these subjects in the context of the workplace.
It was fantastic working as part of the team coordinating such a fantastic event, with M-SParc being responsible for co-ordinating 2 of the 3 activities i.e. the series of 4 short inspirational presentations to students and the employers zone.
Both Debbie, Low Carbon Innovation Manager and Carwyn, Digital Innovation Manager presented a short yet inspiring talk to the students about the benefits of working in STEM and the exciting opportunities in North Wales, specifically in energy and digital. We’d also arranged for other employers to share information regarding different careers paths, Rich from Griffiths Engineering discussing changing careers path, Cath from the Regional Skills Partnership discussing the range of careers in the STEAM sector, Alex from Anglesey Associates Ltd discussing his careers path and Iddon from Rondo Media, Megan from Carnedd and Gareth Thomas from Big Ideas Wales all with inspiring stories to share.
There was also an employer zone where students were given the opportunity to discuss different jobs, careers, and skills with a variety of employers including Morlais, RWE, Carnedd, Read Construction and many more.
The long-term impact of such events and presentations are hopefully felt through the region, especially within the supply chain with more well-paid jobs for young people, meeting the STEM skills gap and ensuring that the north Wales economy is sustainable and competitive.
Throughout the week, M-SParc engaged with more than 500 students in Anglesey and Conwy to ensure the future of the STEM industries!
