Last month, we welcomed more than 750 schoolchildren from across South Wales to World of Work, a two-day careers event funded by the Edina Trust.
Hosted at Techniquest for the third consecutive year, the event aimed to provide meaningful opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds who may otherwise have limited access to careers education and encounters with employers.
Children from 19 different schools were given the opportunity to learn from STEM professionals, get hands-on with industry tools, and have their burning questions answered.
Charlotte Evans, who represented development company Lee Wakemans at the event, said: “It was a pleasure to represent Lee Wakemans and spend time with so many enthusiastic primary school children, helping them explore the world of construction, quantity surveying and project management.
“I designed our stand around three interactive games to suit a range of age groups and make the experience as engaging and relatable as possible.
“One of the most popular activities was “Dress the Bear in PPE”, which helped children understand the importance of health and safety on site and what each item of protective equipment is used for.
“Some of the nicest moments were hearing comments like, “my dad works on a construction site” and “my uncle wears this uniform in his job.” It was so lovely to know the stand felt familiar and relatable, and that the children felt confident approaching the activities.”
In total, 16 organisations hosted a variety of stalls around the centre, including NHS Cymru, engineering company Renishaw, and tech trailblazers CSconnected meaning that every child could learn more about any industry that excited them.
And it was well-received by those who participated: in a post-visit survey, over 90% of the schools gave full marks for ‘pupil enjoyment’ and agreed that the event supported them in teaching pupils about careers. And one young visitor said he’d “had the best day ever!”
We would like to thank all of the following companies, whose efforts and resources are instrumental in the continued success of the World of Work event. Diolch yn fawr.
Bute Energy
Cardiff University
CSconnected
EESW
Goldbeck
Green Energy
KLA
Lee Wakemans
NDEC
NHS Cymru
Quinns
Renishaw
Royal Town Planning Institute
Sacyr
SLR Consultancy
WSP