Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has attended TeenTech Hampshire to showcase the wide range of careers it can offer to young people currently thinking about their futures in the world of Science, Engineering and Technology.
The event, which was organised by Basingstoke Consortium and held at the town's Hampshire Court Hotel, was highly interactive and designed to inspire both young teenagers and their teachers alike. It provided Year 8/9 students and teachers the opportunity to try their hand at experiments, to handle leading edge technology and, most importantly, to spend time with the engineers, technologists and scientists influencing their 21st century lives.
Sarah Mort is SSEN's Workforce Renewal Manager and was delighted with the interest her team's stand got from visitors on the day: "With our ageing workforce it's vital that we are able to attract and retain new members of staff, and TeenTech has been really helpful in showing young people the types of careers we can offer, and at the same time dispelling gender stereotypes and challenging perceptions that certain jobs could be considered "difficult", "geeky" or "boring"."
Sarah went on to explain that SSEN is always looking for ways to engage with pupils and their teachers, and so TeenTech was a great way of showcasing the careers on offer in a relaxed, friendly and informal setting: "We know that a large number of schools no longer offer the opportunity to undertake Work Experience placements, and this has a real impact on the potential for students to learn about the wide range of jobs on offer at SSEN. We therefore have to think differently and look at different ways of getting young people excited about a career in the electricity industry."
SSEN's team at TeenTech was led by Paul Johnson, Overhead Line Assessor, who was able to give students a first-hand insight into the life of a linesperson in the field, as well as letting them see and get a feel for the essential safety kit he and his colleagues wear at work. Nikki Weaving and Grace Simms then took the students through a hands-on task where they were able to test out their dexterity whilst wearing the appropriate safety kit.
Cath Longhurst, CEO of Basingstoke Consortium and EBP South said, "This is our tenth year running TeenTech Hampshire. It was inspiring to see that there was the highest number of young people, especially females, that wanted to become an engineer. By making the variety of occupations more visible, it enables young people to know about them and aspire to them."
To learn more about the careers on offer at SSEN, please visit www.ssen.co.uk/careers .