Thorpe Park welcomes students for careers event

The event, titled STEAM 2025, is being held at Thorpe Park in Surrey

An education scheme for schoolchildren is taking place to improve their career prospects in the science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics sectors.

The event, STEAM 2025, is being held at Thorpe Park in Surrey, where children will collect stamps from educational activities which they will exchange for access to rides.

About 10,000 students from 87 schools across Surrey, Kent, London, Essex and Berkshire are expected to attend.

Jen Baker, ACS International Schools partnerships events manager, said: "We're showing students how to translate skills into real careers and opportunities."

She added: "This is not a day off school – this is school."

According to ACS, 49% of engineering and technology businesses in the UK struggle to recruit due to skills shortages.

The organisers said that skills gaps in the science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics sectors cost the UK economy about £1.5bn annually in lost productivity and unfilled roles.

The event is being attended by more than 60 companies and organisations, including Barclays, Microsoft, Surrey Police, the Royal Air Force, the UK Civil Aviation Authority and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO).

Huw Davies, deputy managing director at RPO, said: "We will deliver musical activities, including the RPO Instrument Petting Zoo, and musicians will invite participants to improvise and perform a musical piece."

The event is taking place on Tuesday.

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