SSEN Distribution has partnered with the SmartSTEMs charity to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers to nearly 300 young people across the Highlands.

Sponsored by SSEN's subsea cable team, the event at University of the Highlands and Islands' Inverness Campus last week welcomed S1 and S2 pupils from 14 schools across the region.

SmartSTEMs blends inspiring presentations with fun workshops and exhibition stands, and alongside SSEN's subsea team, the event saw representatives including Marine Scotland, the Royal Air Force, Science Skills Academy, Police Scotland and Morgan Sindall promote STEM elements of their work through interactive tasks. The lunchtime Q&A session was also a great success, with questions on a wide range of STEM topics being asked by pupils of all ages.

SSEN Distribution's workshop - "Mermaids, sharks and the deep blue sea" - focused on the team's career paths and their work to install intricate marine projects connecting with SSEN's onshore network across northern Scotland.

The pupils learned about the environmental challenges and complexities of installing 33,000-volt cables underwater and how, supported by fellow exhibitors Marine Scotland, they install such vital infrastructure. To bring an extra, interactive, element to the workshop, pupils got the chance to "work" on a cable installation of their own, as you can see in the photo below.


Rob Burnett, Subsea Lead Marine Consents Manager, was delighted with the high level of interest he saw on the day: "This was a unique opportunity to be able to inspire so many young people from across the Highlands, and we can only thank SmartSTEMs for pulling together this fun-filled, energetic and engaging event. We hope that through this engagement we have been able to show the pupils how exciting and varied the world of STEM can be, encouraging them towards future careers in electricity, the subsea industry and other STEM-related fields."

As well as hearing more about potential future careers, the youngsters heard from inspirational speakers such as Angela McShane from The ReInvention: Triumph Over Injury. Angela had suffered life-changing injuries when she was struck by a van several years ago, however, thanks to the amazing STEM-related work by scientists and surgeons in the field of prosthetics, she is now leading a full and active life once more.

Speaking of the event Angela said: "To be able to share my emotional and inspiring presentation to the most wonderful group of students, was an amazing experience. I received such wonderful feedback from those in attendance, as well as lots of interesting, thought-provoking questions. The students' keen interest to learn more about STEM and how exciting it could be to transform someone's life was truly moving.

"I want to thank SSEN Distribution for the inspiration and support as we look to inspire our next STEM visionaries. And also thank the team at SmartSTEMs for their powerful tools to help inspire our amazing students. I am honoured to be part of such a brilliant network looking to empower the next generation and I look forward to seeing what our next professionals in STEM will do in the future!"