Career event 'opens eyes' of thousands of pupils

Children from almost 70 different schools in Northamptonshire attended Wednesday's event at Waterside Campus

A university said a large-scale career event for thousands of schoolchildren had helped "open their eyes to opportunities".

The University of Northampton said almost 3,300 pupils from 68 different schools attended its STEAM Northants day.

The event at Waterside Campus had activities, workshops and interactive shows to inspire students from Year 6 to Year 13 in science, technology, engineering, arts and maths.

Natasha Mycawka, widening access manager at the University of Northampton, said she was "so excited to inspire the next generation of learners for our county."

"This is about opportunities in Northamptonshire and beyond," she added.

"There's so much choice [of career paths] for young people that it can be a bit overwhelming. We want young people to find a job they're passionate about."

Uros was among almost 3,300 schoolchildren to attend STEAM Northants

Major activities and events included an immersive virtual and augmented reality experience zone covering topics as wide-ranging as space, oceans and reefs, dinosaurs and palaeontology.

Visitors were also able to experience African drumming and learn about the science of circus and acrobatic skills, with the event funded by Uni Connect, from the Office for Students and Widening Access.

One of the children who attended, Uros, said he felt the event would make him "more prepared for the future" as he pursued a career as an electrical engineer.

Leron, aged 15, said the event had been a useful experience

Another child, Leron, who hoped to become a data scientist, said it was good to "experience some new things to understand what would be best for me in the future."