Uniting industry partners, young people and the business community to celebrate another successful year of STEM inspiration
On 12 July 2023 at our Summer Gala, we brought together passionate individuals and longstanding partners including Marshall, Ninja Theory and TTP, to celebrate Cambridge LaunchPad’s recent achievements. This year alone the programme has positively impacted the lives of more than 6,000 students in the 2022-23 academic year.
The celebration event featured panel discussions which explored how we can achieve greater diversity in STEM by broadening young people’s horizons and showcasing the opportunities in STEM companies, across Cambridgeshire. The panel included students from Coleridge Community College and industry partners, including Ninja Theory, TTP & The Cambridge Building Society. They shared their experiences, and perspectives of their unique and invaluable project days.
“We wanted the young people to see what it’s like to work in games. A career that is often seen as unattainable when it is not. We gave the opportunity to 5 students from year 8, across 4 schools in the area. The students were able to take away a cut scene from the day, which was very fun, creative and educational. Outreach is important to Ninja Theory, and we want to change the demographic within the industry and for young people to think about a career in games.”
Jade O’Kane, Chief of Staff, Ninja Theory
“Our project day reached out to young people, families and their communities. Aiming to bridge the gap between financial education and careers in the financial sector.”
Sophie Banks, Customer Engagement Team Lead, The Cambridge Building Society
The full year’s programme has been dedicated to ensuring young people have access to opportunities to learn and have hands-on experiences with STEM career options.
“40% of our students claim free school meals. As a school, we want to open up opportunities for all students and show them what’s on their doorstep, which they probably don’t know about yet. Activities like this get our young people to aim high, and understand how they access interesting careers”
Stephen Robinson, Computing & Careers Lead, Coleridge Community College
We heard valuable perspectives from students from Coleridge Community College. They shared their personal experiences of the programme and how they have benefited from Cambridge LaunchPad.
“The project day opened my eyes to more than I’ve grown up with.”
Deepti a Year 8 student
Form the Future is incredibly proud to manage and deliver Cambridge LaunchPad for our partners
“We have accomplished many milestones this academic year, and we are thrilled to celebrate these achievements with our industry partners, and the business community. We must continue challenging ideas about who can excel in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). We want to ensure young people are inspired to dream big and businesses can attract the talent they need. Thank you to everyone who joined us at our Summer Gala to discover how they can contribute to accelerating STEM diversity through Cambridge LaunchPad.”
Anne Bailey, CEO, Form the Future
The conversations filled the room with enthusiasm, innovative ideas, and a shared commitment to accelerating STEM diversity for young people throughout their time at school, across Cambridgeshire.
If you would like to find out more about how you can support Cambridge LaunchPad, please get in touch. For those who weren’t able to make it on the day, you can read our Impact Report and see the impact of Cambridge LaunchPad over the past year.