We were hugely fortunate to welcome so many fantastic speakers to our annual STEM event.
Using the Zoom platform, students from Years 9, 10 and 11 were treated to an array of talks from companies such as Hollis, Aston Martin, KPMG, Storm Geomatics and Unilever. There were a diverse range of job sectors represented and it was fascinating to hear of all the alternative pathways available.
Several delegates referred to exploring Medicine at school as they loved Biology and Chemistry, but then finding other great careers such as Toxicologist, Computational Chemist and Product Safety Engineer. It was also useful to hear about the importance of developing soft skills alongside the all important academic grades, and ones highlighted today included curiosity, resilience, problem solving and communication.
For our students who have started to look at university courses, an excellent tip from the event was to look at courses that offer years in industry or work placements. Many of our speakers had been offered positions on graduate schemes having undertaken work placements as part of their course.
Our final speaker was inspirational; she not only had some valuable advice to impart about investment banking, but also spoke about taking up the sport of shooting and now representing Great Britain. This wrapped up a great afternoon with two important reflections: we need to follow our passion and be open to and embrace new opportunities that come our way.
