The Coastal West Sussex Partnership is working with local partners to plan and deliver a Coastal STEMfest for secondary school students in February and March 2016. The exciting event will coincide with the British Science Week which runs from 11th to 20th March. The Coastal STEMfest aims to inspire the next generation to study and build careers in science, technology, engineering and maths, and to develop the skills needed to drive the economy in the future. It is open to all schools across Coastal West Sussex and the surrounding areas.
Many local business leaders have identified the need to attract and train the right workforce and believe that STEMfest will be an exciting and challenging opportunity to make STEM subjects fun and relevant to local industries; nurturing the capacity to think ‘outside the box’ and encouraging young people to become truly innovative.
The event will feature a series of interactive activities, demonstrations, workshops and shows. These will take place in schools, through STEM Clubs and on-site within local companies. A final Coastal Big Bang @ event is set to be hosted on 3rd March 2016 at Butlin’s in Bognor Regis. As an accumulation of all the school activities, it will offer young people the opportunity to experience a variety of interactive engineering and science activities.
The Coastal STEMfest is part of a nationwide programme designed to inspire young people to consider STEM career paths. The programme encourages young people to continue studying STEM subjects throughout their education and presents clear pathways into STEM careers through educational programmes – from apprenticeships through to university and professional qualifications. It will also help to create opportunities for local businesses to inspire young people about local career opportunities.
A number of STEM related activities do already take place across the Coastal West Sussex area and it is anticipated that this programme will build onto that, raising awareness of STEM to create a strong programme of activities for young people and their teachers in the local area.