Third year pupils at Stromness Academy have recently enjoyed a week of activities during the school’s annual Careers Week.

A part of the school calendar since 2019, Careers Week was developed to support pupils in S3, who will shortly be making their subject choices for their fourth year, which can influence where they will end up after school.

Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Orkney has granted funding for science kits for each of the islands’ schools.

We awarded the Raising Aspirations in Science Education (RAiSE) programme funding to purchase Meccano, coding creatures, minicomputers, toolkits, and workbenches.

These will be distributed to 19 schools, benefitting more than 1,500 children.

Colin Nisbet, RAiSE Education Support Officer in Orkney, will deliver training to all schools on how to make the most of the resources, as well as developing resources to support learning experiences and opportunities. He said:  “This funding award is incredibly welcome.  We want to bring STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) to life for our children. Educational toys and kits help to spark curiosity, ambition, and problem-solving skills in fun and accessible ways.

“I am going to work alongside our schools to offer training, advice, and ideas so we can get the most from these very valuable resources.”

In an effort to support the local economy, Colin has purchased the Meccano sets through Grooves in Kirkwall.

The sets will promote engineering through play, programming digital technology, and the use of tools. Local businesses will be profiled within the support materials and schools will be encouraged to connect with industry to further bring these lessons to life.

Rachel Scarth, Project Manager, DYW Orkney, said:  “The DYW Orkney Board are very proud of our partnership and support of the RAiSE programme.  We recognise that the development of STEM and digital skills is vitally important for the islands as we progress through a modern economy and we must be proactive in developing our young people for the future. Sparking confidence and excitement in these matters from a young age is a great way to do this.”

RAiSE, a programme of The Wood Foundation, Scottish Government, Education Scotland, and participating local authorities empowers primary teachers with the skills, networks, and confidence to develop and deliver motivating and engaging STEM learning experiences for children. More than half of Scotland’s local authorities have engaged and Colin has been in post focussing on the Orkney area for a year.

In the last of this week’s Sector Spotlight on the Energy Industry we hear from Stewart Esslemont, who is a Project Engineer with National Oilwell Varco (NOV) Wellstream Processing on Flotta.
 
After leaving school, Stewart originally started on the Clyde Marine Apprenticeship scheme to become a Mechanical Engineer.  He ultimately decided that was not the career choice for him, so returned to Orkney where he undertook various roles before becoming a Project Technician for Opus Plus Ltd (now NOV Wellstream Processing) eight years ago.  He was promoted into his current role four years ago.

In our next Sector Spotlight on the Energy Industry we hear from Craig Smith, who is a Senior Health and Safety and Environmental Advisor with Repsol Sinopec Resources UK.
 
Following university, Craig returned to Orkney to start his working life with an environmental consultancy in Stromness before moving to SEPA where he worked for over 15 years.  Alongside his role with SEPA he also volunteered as a retained firefighter with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.  Craig then took up a post as an environmental consultant on a cruise liner which sailed in Australia, New Zealand and Alaska.  He moved into his current role a year ago and is based on Flotta.

Continuing our Sector Spotlight on the Energy Industry, today we hear from Erica Mathers, who is the Marketing Officer for EMEC (European Marine Energy Centre).
 
After leaving school, Erica undertook a degree in Rural Business Management with Agriculture at SRUC in Aberdeen.  Following that, she worked as an Agricultural Consultant in Inverurie, Aberdeenshire before returning to Orkney three years ago to undertake her current role.

​This week’s Sector Spotlight is focusing on the Energy Industry.  Today, we hear from Siobhan Peace, who is a Study Director with National Oilwell Varco Wellstream Processing (NOV) on Flotta.
 
After starting a degree in Architecture, Siobhan realised that wasn’t the correct career path for her so switched to a degree in Zoology.  She started with NOV as a Laboratory Technician and worked her way up to her current role as Study Director.

Our Sector Spotlight campaign returns for the summer and we begin by focusing on the Energy Industry.  Today, we hear from John Corsie, who is a Production Technician with Repsol Sinopec Resources UK.
 
After leaving school, John undertook and completed a Modern Apprenticeship in Refrigeration, Air Conditions and Heat Pump systems with local business Steven R Paterson.  He then felt ready for a career change and was successful in applying for the OPITO Modern Apprenticeship Scheme, securing one of four spaces available on Flotta.  Following the completion of his apprenticeship, he was offered a full-time position with Respol Sinopec Resources UK on Flotta.