[A] popular celebration of science and engineering will take place at Furness College this week to help young people explore their future career options.
The Big Bang Fair, which is organised by C-STEM Ltd. and the Barrow Engineering Project, will welcome more than 1,000 primary, secondary and further education students to Furness College’s Channelside campus.
The event will be held on October 17 and 18 to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects through a series of interactive experiments.
Representatives from businesses across Furness and South Cumbria will explain their work and show off the latest technology used in their firms.
Tony Gill, of C-STEM, said: “The Big Bang Fair has become a key STEM event in the calendar and people in education and business look forward to this each year.
“It’s great to be able to hold the event at Furness College, which has amazing facilities and a great reputation for training in STEM subjects.
“This is part of a programme of STEM activities in Furness designed to enthuse and excite young people about the potential of STEM careers in the future.”
Principal and Chief Executive of Furness College Andrew Wren said the event is a great opportunity to bring together talented students and their potential future employers.
He added: “We always look forward to hosting this fun event and meeting the next generation of engineers.
“I particularly enjoy meeting such enthusiastic young people who are exploring their future career options.
“We hope what they see on the day will inspire them into careers in a range of industries connected with STEM.
“As a college with the biggest range of courses in the area, we offer both academic and vocational routes into this fast-paced sector.”
Furness College staff will demonstrate a virtual welder and students will be able to experience a virtual reality environment using high-tech headsets as well as meeting Oscar, an interactive robot.
Alongside the College, organisations including main sponsors BAE Systems, Siemens, FACE, Gen 2, Lancaster University, University of Cumbria, LA12, Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Electricity North West, Oxley Group, Wax Lyrical, GSK, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust and Kimberly-Clark will be supporting the event.
The Big Bang follows a successful Taster Day for primary school children at Furness College on Friday, October 13.
Pupils from Greengate Junior School, Ormsgill Primary, George Romney School, St James’ C.E. Junior School and North Walney Primary spent the day taking part in a range of fun and interactive activities to find out more about the courses and facilities on offer at the college.
