Pupils from 15 of Dumfries and Galloway’s secondary schools came together at the town’s Easterbrook Hall in May for Developing the Young Workforce’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths event, ‘Bang Goes DG!’
The second STEM event held by the DYW team, ‘Bang Goes DG!’ showcased various businesses and organisations through hands on activities. Justin Thomas, DYW Programme Manager and organiser of the event “Youngsters can roll up their sleeves and have a go at something. This is a fun and stimulating way to learn and makes more of an experience for the individual meaning that they can begin to learn more about the careers that are around them.”
The event certainly had an impact on the young people with 958 pupils attending, all taking full advantage of the activities. Feedback from both pupils, businesses and teachers was extremely supportive.
Grahame Arrowsmith, Acting Deputy Head Teacher at Wallace Hall Academy thought the day well worthwhile. “The pupils got an awful lot out of the event and clearly, the employers had put in a lot of effort in engagement activities. A huge thank you to DYW for the effort, it’s much appreciated”
“We had 109 Teachers from across the region accompany the pupils” explains DYW Programme Manager, Caroline Davidson. “That’s a huge increase on the event last year and shows just how involved the Teachers want to be when understanding STEM careers themselves”
Bang Goes DG! was set up to highlight the variety of opportunities in the region within Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and attracted over 40 businesses including, Alpha Solway, Jas P Wilson, Eco Genics, Brown Brothers, Scottish Power Energy Networks, Scottish Water and Glasgow Science Centre.
John Campbell, Former President of Scottish Engineering was delighted to be involved. “We have to thank DYW DG for this event. We met dozens of young people and we had a lot of interest in STEM. It was nice to talk with young folks who haven’t really got a view of where they want to be just yet. A super event and the enthusiasm from all the participants made for a great atmosphere!”
“It’s all about informing young people and highlighting what STEM actually is” Justin continues. “Many get turned off the idea of careers in these sectors as they think it is too hard or don’t know anyone already working in the fields. DYW DG challenges this through many of our ‘work ready projects of which BGDG is just a part.
Caroline agrees. “BGDG is also a fantastic showcase for businesses to highlight exactly who they are and what they do and to meet young people face to face. It was brilliant to see everyone together having a go at what was available!”
The regions Food and Drink sector was represented by Brown Brothers and Arla amongst others and with a national partner. “Food and Drink Federation Scotland were delighted to support DYW DG in BGDG to promote the link between STEM subjects and careers in the food and drink industry” says Moira Stalker, National Skills Manager “With 2,700 new recruits needed by 2022, there is plenty of scope for great careers and many people don’t realise that what we really need are scientists, technologists, engineers and highly skilled technical people too. The pupils who came to BGDG were all interested in finding out about the science behind the food they eat and that’s great news for the future growth of our industry, which is the largest manufacturing sector in Scotland and the UK.”
Activities ranged from learning the secrets of dry ice to understanding the importance of the role of renewable energy. Virtual Reality headsets were used by many of the businesses including the NHS and Lantra, helping young people to bridge their understanding of how technology is involved in business.
Dumfries based business, B Station have access to a huge number of games and training packages and are working with DYW DG to present digital learning to pupils, Teachers and businesses. CEO, Derry JJ Rogerson, was delighted by the response from everyone at the show. “We were so grateful to be given the opportunity to showcase our big ideas for the future of skills based education at BGDG. We want to be able to show how new technologies on the market, like VR, can be used in constructive ways. We can make learning immersive, interactive and experience led if we learn to use gaming technologies in a more thoughtful way and that is something we’re really excited to be introducing.”
Justin is equally enthusiastic. “We are very keen to include VR wherever possible in what we do and we are extremely lucky to be able to have a specialist business on our doorstep that we can work with!” says Justin. “All in all we tried to cover as much as we possibly could to inspire and inform. It was quite a day and we cannot express enough thanks to all that were involved!”
