First national STEM career expo

The National STEM Career Expo kicked off this week at Esplora, Interactive Science Centre, Kalkara with a number of schoolchildren in Years 4, 5 & 6 who attended in collaboration with the National School Support Services within the Ministry for Education and Employment 

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The National STEM Career Expo kicked off this week at Esplora, Interactive Science Centre, Kalkara with a number of schoolchildren in Years 4, 5 & 6 (late primary) who attended in collaboration with the National School Support Services within the Ministry for Education and Employment (MEDE).

The Expo is being held as part of a tripartite initiative between the Malta Council for Science & Technology (MCST), the University of Malta (UM) and the Malta College of Arts, Science & Technology (MCAST) with the support of MEDE.

Hosting over 25 entities including (private companies, government bodies, research performing institutions, and NGOs, amongst others.) the STEM Career Expo showcases a broad range of occupations in the field of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). It offers a unique opportunity for children and their families to meet professionals from a wide variety of fields (such as engineering, computer science, health science, pharmacy, data analysis, science communication, manufacturing, space science, environmental conservation and marine science,) and engage with them via short, interactive, hands-on activities. Building, coding, quizzes, role-play games are just some of the activities in store.

Additional activities taking place during the weekend include a STEM Game Show, a Guess What I Do Who/Hot Seat Game coordinated by JobsPlus, a mini maker space and a storytelling session for our youngest guests.

The Expo will be open for school visits from Tuesday to Friday from 9 am until 1 pm, and for the general public on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th January from 10 am until 6 pm.

According to The Future of Jobs report compiled by the World Economic Forum, 65 % of the jobs children will do will be new careers. Most will be STEM-related. Beyond this soaring demand for professionals, STEM subjects are also essential for children and young people to develop crucial life skills such as solving problems, evaluating data and thinking creatively.

Further to the National STEM engagement conference which was held last May, a collective STEM Engagement Position Paper was presented by the three entities. The position paper presented a recommendation for a STEM Working Group to push forward the cohesive ideas presented in the tripartite proposal as well as the development of a consolidated Malta Science Communication Strategy. The STEM Career Expo came about as one of the actions put forward by the working group.

The STEM Career Expo is part-financed by the Erasmus+ Project RAISE “Raising Awareness and Interest in STEAM Employment”.

For more information on the exhibitors, activities and competitions, kindly follow the National STEM Career Expo Facebook event page.

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