The Sixth Form Bolton Sixth Form Bolton Hold Trailblazing STEM Careers Day

Sixth Form Bolton Hold Trailblazing STEM Careers Day

Last week, first-year students from The Sixth Form Bolton were invited to attend an action-packed STEM Careers Day.

Students studying courses within the Maths, Science and Vocational Social Sciences departments attended workshops, guest speaker panels and speed networking sessions.

The day began with an engaging workshop ran by Bilal Sheraz from Medology, an organisation that supports young people interested in applying for Medicine and Dentistry degrees.

The Sixth Form’s A Level Biology and Chemistry students took part in a Health Sciences panel, featuring representatives including Dr Charlotte Lawson, Associate Dean for Business Development from the School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Central Lancashire. After this, the Maths and Physics students enjoyed an Engineering panel with representatives from Hidden Analytics and Yokogawa UK Ltd.

Image of guest speaker at STEM Careers Event

Following a lunch break where the guest speakers networked with The Sixth Form STEM curriculum staff, the Vocational Science students were then invited to a speed networking session. This session gave the students the chance to speak to representatives from a range of universities and employers in the STEM sector including AECOM, MBDA, Recom Solutions, Edge Hill, University of Greater Manchester and Avove.

The event, which was organised by Jill Whitham (Head of Careers and Employability) and Karolina Jercha (Super Curricula Lead – STEM), was a huge success. Karolina Jercha commented:

“A huge thank you to everyone involved in our STEM Day — staff, students, and our amazing backstage MIS and Premises teams! Our students made us incredibly proud with their excellent behaviour and enthusiasm throughout the day. The event provided them with a fantastic opportunity to develop a better understanding of different STEM careers, gain inspiration to explore STEM-related study or job paths, and learn about the key skills needed for success in these fields. It also motivated them to work harder in STEM subjects at college, discover future study or training opportunities, and build confidence in their ability to pursue a STEM career. Students came away with new ideas about how STEM is used in real life, made valuable connections with STEM professionals, and most importantly, had a fun and inspiring experience. It was a fantastic day that helped our students grow their skills and become world-ready, broadening their horizons in STEM careers.”

Jill Whitham commented:

“There are such a wide variety of careers available to students interested in STEM. This event highlighted some of these opportunities and allowed students to explore the many transferable skills which their STEM subjects give them . We hope that this activity has broadened our students horizons and provided them with a strong starting point for their own career-planning journey. We are so grateful to the many individuals and organisations who helped to make this event possible.”

The students found it to be an invaluable event with former Harper Green School student, Harry Heenan, who studies A Level Biology, Chemistry, Psychology and Honours Programme commenting:

“The talk from Bilal Sheraz from Medology was very informative and gave us all a clear pathway and insight to journey of becoming medics and dentists. I really enjoyed hearing about his personal journey to becoming a dentist and some of the ways he developed his skills, as a result this has inspired me and a few friends to actually create our own healthcare university support group so that we can develop our own leaderships skills and create a network of likeminded people, with similar interests. It was a great talk and the whole experience made the process to becoming future doctors and dentists feel a lot less daunting.”

The guest speakers were also very impressed by the event with Muhammad Naeem Ashraf, Solution Architect & Consultant Manager at Yokogawa UK Ltd commenting:

“It was a privilege to attend STEM Careers Day at The Sixth Form. It was an enriching experience interacting with over 200 students, delivering presentations, joining a Panel Q&A session, enjoying lunch with college staff and management, and engaging in a networking fair. During the networking fair, one of the most engaging questions from students was:
“What are the tools or methods for problem-solving and how do you present a complex problem to a client?” As a Solution Consultant at Yokogawa UK, I highlighted how industrial automation and digital transformation contribute to achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — from improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions to enabling safer, smarter, and more sustainable operations across industries. A big thank you to Jill Whitham and the college team for organising such an impactful event and giving me the opportunity to inspire future talent.”

We would like to extend our thanks to all the external guests who gave their time to support the event. Your experience and expertise greatly enriched the day, and our students truly benefited from the insights you shared.

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Sixth Form Bolton Hold Trailblazing STEM Careers Day