Students lift off for stellar space careers day
Telford, Wolverhampton, Cannock Chase – February 8, 2024 – Over 80 students from secondary schools in the West Midlands have taken part in a space-themed careers day at RAF Museum Midlands, organised by youth charity the Jon Egging Trust (JET).
Aimed at broadening awareness of careers in space, and building aspiration, curiosity and confidence, the event was attended by year seven and eight students from four local schools, including Moreton School, Charlton School, and Highfields School. Students took part in a round-robin of activities and challenges led by JET and supported by the RAF, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the National Space Academy (NSA).
Highlights of the day included interactive rocket challenges led by CAA STEM Ambassadors, an engaging careers-in-space talk, an educational space workshop, and immersive space-themed activities facilitated by the RAF Museum Midlands team. As well as broadening career perspectives, the event focussed on building teamwork and communication skills; crucial workplace competencies championed by JET’s long-term support programmes.
Vicky Petrylak, JET’s Regional Manager in the West Midlands, reflected on the day’s success: “It was exciting and engaging for the pupils, and was filled with space-themed challenges and hand-on activities led by inspirational industry experts. Our aim at JET is to ignite curiosity, boost confidence and foster teamwork skills, and today was a giant leap in that direction, showcasing the fascinating realm of space careers. ”
The RAF Museum Midlands staff also expressed their enthusiasm: “Space is a topic we love teaching students more about as it covers many aspects of STEM – from engineering the rockets, designing the rovers and all the mathematics involved in getting man on the moon. Hosting the event amidst our National Cold War Exhibition, surrounded by iconic aircraft, added an extra layer of inspiration for the students.”
Adelle Roberts, Head of Space Licensing and Monitoring at the UK Civil Aviation Authority said: “We’ve had a fantastic team from the UK Civil Aviation Authority showing off all the brilliant careers in space – it’s not just astronauts and space cadets. The message we want to send is there’s a huge range of exciting space jobs out there – from engineers to analysts, space lawyers to space communicators. We need inspired young people who can help make reaching for the stars a possibility not just a figure of speech.”
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ABOUT THE JON EGGING TRUST
The Jon Egging Trust (JET) supports young people who are facing adversity and come from disadvantaged backgrounds to develop social and emotional skills, re-engage with learning, improve their grades and in turn maximise their potential. Our experiential learning programmes provide long-term support and access to extraordinary workplaces and STEM environments and the inspirational models within them.
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