John Griff: Getting up STEAM through local education
Recently I wrote about the futures of young people, the hurdles that they have ahead of them and the challenges to them in becoming successful citizens.
As many have before me, I used the sometimes hackneyed but nevertheless true phrase about children being our future. Last week I came up, close and personal with something giving cause for optimism in an uncertain if not downright dangerous world.
A few years ago, the University of Northampton took a giant stride by building a new campus within spitting distance of the River Nene, uprooting itself from its former location overlooking the Racecourse and relocating adjacent to Becket’s Park. Since then – and like many other businesses - it has gone through a series of ups and downs thanks to an uncertain economic cycle, difficulties in the sector and the challenges of recruiting and catering for an ever more demanding consumer market. For all that though I think its relationship with the town has flourished in the last few years – and in return the town certainly has a mighty asset as a neighbour.
That asset was prominently on display last week when it put on its annual STEAM event for younger students throughout its campus. I had been invited to attend and to see what goes on by representing the Lord-Lieutenant and was a little surprised to park alongside the Senate building and be immediately blasted by a marquee full of early teenagers roaring into a karaoke microphone – but the song was at least in time and more or less in key as a live band accompanied. Britain’s Got Talent and The Voice UK notwithstanding, none of the participants seemed to bed in any way phased at the prospect of singing in front of their peers. On the contrary. Confidence was there for all to see and hear, so it was with a grin from ear to ear as I headed for the rather more permanent buildings of the university to see what was taking place.
That confidence is key to the future. Taken for granted by some people of an older age perhaps, it is one of the cornerstones underpinning a successful, productive life I suggest. Naturally, it is sensible to be cautious and test the waters of any environment before diving or jumping in. But here, on this day, three thousand younger people of school age were having a taste of a different chapter in life, should they wish to work to achieve it.
Course after course from the various faculties was displayed and I marvelled as the challenges of building the tallest, viable teepee from modelling balloons, creating a video narrative, drumming to a collective beat or learning about spinal massage were taken on by group after group.
Within the upper age range academics former and current were re-igniting their love of teaching and a dedication to developing young hearts and minds through everything from old fossils (artefacts, not academics) to TV production. One member of the Uni team walked through the throng of young students (eighty per cent of the older ones being away on vacation from their studies, otherwise the event wouldn’t have been planned to take place then) dressed in an authentic looking spacesuit of the kind worn by Neil Armstrong when, in 1969 and as part of the crew of Apollo 11, he became the first human to stand on a different heavenly body to Mother Earth. I was a little concerned that he might be mistaken for and mobbed as a lifesize Buzz Lightyear, but it didn’t happen. Maybe it was something to do with the fact that the suit was actually a film prop from the 2018 movie ‘First Man’ starring Ryan Reynolds. At any rate it provided a nice touching-point to a number of the university’s courses being showcased.
It wasn’t only the university putting itself in front of potential new clients. A multitude of businesses and organisations from the county and beyond were also on site as potential employers, from heavy haulage to public transport to food production. The country’s security service was represented, as was the NHS and the armed forces. Further education won’t be for everyone so the opportunity to highlight other paths to life and routes to a living, perhaps as an apprentice were taking the opportunity to show themselves off.
And what of the school students themselves? If noise is an indicator of engagement and interest then last week’s look at Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics fired many imaginations and life trajectories, because the buildings rang with it. There was only one exception - in a quieter corner the young visitors were almost silent as they were introduced to a variety of small animals attending from around the world. And nobody wanted to frighten the meerkats…
Give it a few years and we’ll have a new crop of workplace leaders making their way onto the career market. Good luck to each and every one of them making the best of themselves, whether they follow the university route or not. Hats off to all who attended and gave our youngsters their introductions to a world of options too - we need you as much as we do them.
Stronger together.