Developing the Young Workforce in Dumfries and Galloway (DYWDG) is once again working with partners, Energy Skills Partnership, Food and Drink Federation Scotland, DG College and the Crichton Trust to present a follow up to their hugely successful 2018 STEM event, this year called ‘BANG GOES DG!’

The inaugural 2018 event involved 40 businesses and saw over 350 S1/2/3 pupils from the region’s secondary schools attending. Feedback from businesses, students, teachers, organisers and other visitors was incredible, motivating the team organisers to produce a 2019 event which would allow them to build on what they had learnt to make the 2019 version even grander.

‘BANG GOES DG! 2019’ will be held at Easterbrook Hall, part of the Crichton Trust business park in Dumfries on Wednesday, May 8th and the team has offered open invitations to businesses to take part.

As with last year, aims of the day include not only informing young people about what Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) actually are and how they are involved in numerous sectors, but also to showcase the many opportunities that exist around them in Dumfries & Galloway, tying in with the DYW DG ‘brand awareness’ service.

Each business is asked to present an interactive presentation meaning that young people can work on the activities alongside the staff representatives, ask questions and become informed of just who they are and what they do. “It’s all about informing our young people correctly” says DYW DG Programme Manager, Justin Thomas. We at DYW DG have found that introducing young people to business out of the classroom is more successful than the more traditional method of taking a business into the school. In that safe environment, this is just another adult who has come to talk at them. Taking them out of their comfort zone on a site visit or to something like ‘Bang Goes DG!’ provides a difference and once they understand their new environment they become settled and begin to react to the adults around them.”

#BGDG19 already promises to be a bigger, faster paced, more exciting day to inform and inspire young people and is primarily aimed at school pupils in S1/2/3. However the team do stress that College and University students and home schoolers are welcome and are encouraged to pop by.

Tricia Hunter, DYW DG Programme Director says, “Showcasing the amazing businesses, in such an interactive way, allows them to demonstrate a wide range of career pathways that can be followed and hopefully raises the aspiration in our young people that they are needed now and in the future. Teachers obtain an insight to the business world helping them realise how their curriculum subject is relevant today, tomorrow and in this fast changing world for the future.”

DYW DG and DG Chamber friends, Holiday Inn, also based on the Crichton grounds are supporting the event by offering a special ‘BANG GOES DG! rate for any businesses that are attending and need to stay over and information on this is available when enquiring.

Justin continues; “Last years event was exciting as this was a new concept for Dumfries & Galloway schools and that showed in the response we had from the young people who attended. They came in thinking they were just going to be able to walk around and see presentations and stands and what they got was a ‘roll up your sleeves and get in there’ attitude! It was just terrific to see them learning and having fun, whether it be deep in slime, using virtual technology or using giant building bricks!

The support and enthusiasm after 2018’s show from teachers, businesses and pupils, was overwhelming, it was that that really got us organising this one so quickly! This year we are continuing the interactive elements and highlighting how STEM and technologies are shaping the working world our young people are going to be encountering. We already have some great ideas from businesses on what they want to do. This is an ideal event to really interact with the region’s young people and in many cases, to introduce the business, the sector and future possibilities to them whilst also promoting the fact that STEM is all around us from traditional ideas of engineering right to fashion design”.

If your business/organisation is interested in being part of this year’s event, please contact justin.thomas@dywdg.co.uk to register.