Edinburgh children to partipate in digital careers events

More than 200 secondary school kids will take part in a drive to promote STEM industry careers, supported by Scottish tech companies including Skyscanner, Shot Scope and FanDuel.

The talks aim to promote a career in the digital industries for schoolchildren. Picture: Iain McLean

The pioneering Scottish companies have collaborated with Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and Young Scot for the careers event, which will be streamed live from Edinburgh on Tuesday 19 April.

The event will offer an insight into the wide variety of careers available in Scotland’s thriving digital technologies industry and provide advice about taking the first step on the ladder.

In addition, schoolkids will get to try hands-on activities to gain a better understanding of coding, design and development through Skyscanner’s Raspberry Pi workshops.

The fiirst Lego League event at Glasgow Science Centre was held in December last year. Picture: Iain McLean

Teachers will also experience a training session from Apps for Good, which showcases the importance of app development in educational settings.

The Young Scot daytime event for secondary school pupils will be followed by Skills Development Scotland’s dedicated Insight Evening for parents, students and adults who may wish to learn more about a digital career.

This evening event will be streamed live online from 6.30pm for those across Scotland to log in and hear from industry leaders and educational institutions about careers in the digital world. Information on local vacancies, job security and alternative employment routes will also be provided.

Claire Gillespie of Skills Development Scotland. Picture: Sarah Lee

Big names from the digital industries will be present on an interactive panel session, including Skyscanner’s Kim Watson, Rob Jones of FanDuel and Richard Burgess of Edinburgh City Council. Audience members will be able to quiz each person via a dedicated online chat room and by asking questions on Twitter.

The event will also feature talks from Shot Scope, NHS Highlands, Oracle and Johnson & Johnson as well as a digital quiz.

Claire Gillespie, key sector manager for ICT and Digital Technology Skills at SDS, said: “Discovering Digital World is a fantastic opportunity to reach young people and their parents, making them aware of the amazing digital careers, learning and training on offer in Scotland.

The fiirst Lego League event at Glasgow Science Centre was held in December last year. Picture: Iain McLean

Almost every sector from energy to finance, healthcare, sport and the creative industries has technology embedded at its core. Edinburgh’s tech cluster is fast-growing and full of energy and we hope that these events will inspire everyone who attends or tunes in online.”

A Skills Investment Plan for Scotland’s ICT and Digital Technologies Sector was launched in 2014, backed by £6.6 million from the Digital Scotland Business Excellence Partnership. The plan identified the potential for 11,000 job opportunities in Scotland each year until 2020, often paying well above average.

Having already visited Inverness, Aberdeen and Dundee, the Discovering Digital World Roadshow series will be calling at Glasgow, Argyll & Bute and the Borders after the event in the capital.

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