Students take part in West Midlands STEM festival

Pupils of 22 different schools embarked on Millennium Point, in Birmingham, to take part in workshops and career activities.

They gathered as part of a festival called #STEMFestWM which also sees local businesses take part.

The event is aimed at promoting opportunities in Science, Engineering, Maths and Technology.

An organisation called Ahead Partnership organised the event.

The group received funding from the Millennium Point Charitable Trust’s Small Grants Programme to do this. It comes after £400,000 was set aside for STEM learning in the West Midlands.

Millennium Point is home to science museum ThinkTank and Birmingham City University.

Stephanie Burras CBE, Chief Executive of Ahead Partnership, said: "We are very proud of the success of our second STEM festival in the West Midlands. The growing scale of this event demonstrates a clear need for this type of initiative in the region, and it is our mission to equip young people with better awareness of and access to the fantastic opportunities available to them."

Abigail Vlahakis, chief executive of Millennium Point, added: "Our region has great potential for growth in the STEM sector, but we are facing concerning difficulties in meeting the sector’s skills demand.

"Ahead Partnership’s work is aligned with our own ambitions to enhance STEM learning and career aspirations in the West Midlands, and we’re delighted to fund this hugely worthwhile project that has seen so many young people leave engaged and inspired."