education INDEX

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School

Report
News on an innovative event bridging
the gap between school and work, plus
renowned artist to showcase installation
at The Sidney Cooper Gallery
Words Kaz Russell-Graham
Photographs Dave Russell-Graham

here is a strong life sciences

network growing in Kent and
now an innovative event has
created the missing link between
the opportunities it creates and perplexed
pupils choosing their next steps.
At around Year 10, teenagers begin
to realise that they are in preparation
for adulthood and the workplace. While
this can be motivating it can also lead
to confusion, especially with careers
involving the STEM subjects (Science,
Technology, Engineering and Maths). Here
changes are exciting but also rapid and
companies require an adaptable and skilled
workforce for future success.
At the end of September, Discovery
Park in Sandwich hosted The Young
BioGateway, an inaugural event that joined
the dots between 200 pupils from schools
across Kent and prospective employers and
educational providers. Organised by the
Education Business Partnership Kent (EBP)
in a joint venture with the BioGateway,
teams from employers as diverse as Pfizer,
Peakdale, Quex Museum and the Army gave
students the chance to participate in handson activities and exhibitions that provided
a taster of science in the real workplace.
Perhaps more importantly they could ask
direct questions about how their life science
career might commence and progress.
Kathy-Anne Keane, Head of Biology
at Charles Dickens School, Broadstairs,
was impressed with both the quality and
relevance of the day. Her students were first
inspired by a speech from Simon Hobbs
of Genea Biomedx, who helped them to

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visualise their career as a

journey where it wasnt
necessary to see the top
step in order to take the
first. All the presenters
were chosen well, says
Ms Keane. They spoke
at the right level for the
students and didnt use
jargon. She was also
delighted that the subject of IVF, which her
pupils had previously studied in the classroom,
was put into relevant context during the day,
and that they could discuss real issues and
ask questions of genuine employees. I have
also taken away some great practical ideas for
teaching and made some useful contacts we
cant wait to come back, she added.
Canterbury College, an educational
provider of post 16 science, was represented
at Young BioGateway by Joe Callaghan,
Trainer Developer. Assisted by students
in the second year of L3 Forensic Science
he presented an activity involving blood,
fingerprint analysis and forensics, which

definitely piqued the interest of the visiting

Year 10s. It was a great opportunity to see
the facilities available and for networking,
said Joe, but it works both ways because
my students, who are STEM ambassadors,
also got the opportunity to engage in public
speaking, build presentation skills and gain
confidence. I thought they would do well
but they worked really hard and surpassed
my expectations.
Anne McNulty, CEO of EBP, is grateful to
companies like Cummins Power Generation
and Pfizer who sponsored the programme,
enabling the promotion of the opportunities
in science for all the practical, the creative
and the academic.

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