Exploring STEM Careers

Questions for facilitator

. How many people are employed in the UK’s space industry? A: 19,000

. How many companies are actively engaged in the UK space industry? A: 100

. What is the company Infoterra, a leading UK space industry company, most famous for? A: Google Earth services

. According to one source, if all of the satellite telecommunications were switched off, how long would it take for the global economy to grind to a halt? A: One day

. Which skills do employers in the UK space industry say they require? A: Numerical reasoning, communication skills and being able to apply scientific concepts to a wide range of situations

. What is a GDP (Graduate Development Programme)? A: A graduate development programme – lots of large companies run them and they are designed for people who have done a degree at university. People on graduate development programmes are often taken on for a certain amount of time and move around different parts of a company to get an overview of how the company works overall. One example of a GDP is run by EADS Astrium who are the largest satellite manufacturer in Europe. People on the programme develop their technical know how and skills as well as learning about the company.

. What is an apprenticeship? A: A framework of qualifications in which people learn more about a particular area. Apprentices are taken on in many of the STEM career areas.

. Where can you find more information about the UK space industry? A: British National Space Centre www.bnsc.gov.uk

. How many people are employed in the UK Nuclear Power Industry? A: 56,000

. How many new sites have been nominated to host nuclear power stations? A: 11

. Who is arguably the most famous worker at a nuclear power plant? A: Homer Simpson . What is decommissioning (when we are talking about the nuclear industry)? A: Making older power stations and fuel processing facilities safe now that they are no longer needed/able to run effectively – a lot of people are employed to perform this process

. What is the nuclear fuel cycle and why are people involved in this process in the UK in demand in other countries? A: The nuclear fuel cycle is where uranium is made into fuel, used in the power station to produce electricity and then recycled or disposed. The skills of people employed by UK nuclear power companies is demand to support other companies in developing their own nuclear power infrastructure.

. There will be a big demand for people with the right skills and qualifications to fill an increasing number of jobs in the nuclear industry – why is that? A: Large numbers of people will be retiring from this industry in the next 15 years and 11 new power plants will potentially open up.

. What sort of jobs are available in the nuclear industry (looking for 4 answers)? A: Design & construction of new power stations, processing and manufacturing nuclear fuel, maintaining nuclear powered submarines, operating the UK power sites, decommissioning redundant facilities.

. What is the name of the apprenticeship framework associated with the nuclear industry? A: Cogent Apprenticeship Framework

. At which university can you study Nuclear Engineering? A: Lancaster University

. Where can you find more information about the Nuclear Industry? A: Nuclear Decommissioning Agency: www.nda.gov.uk

. Where can you find more information about the jobs in the nuclear industry? A: www.cogent-careers.com this shows all of the roles in the nuclear industry, the salaries and their day to day duties.

. In a power plant, what does a technical director do? A: They are responsible for leading and maintaining development of the plant performance in output, safety, environmental impact and use of material and fuel. The Director is also responsible for the Health and Safety management systems and for ensuring their application.

. In a power plant, how much can a technical director earn? A: Between £50,000 and £90,000

. To become a technical director in a power plant, what sort of skills do you have to have? A: Financial planning skills, be good at science and engineering, be able to lead & manage people . In the nuclear industry, what do technicians do? A: Technicians’ work in plants involves fault analysis, defect identification and repair, the routine maintenance and repair of a wide range of production plant and equipment and installation of new equipment. Supporting the work of production engineers and plant managers, technicians can also work in process development, design, construction and operations. Safety and quality of work are paramount.

. Can you become a nuclear industry technician through the apprenticeship route? A: Yes.

. How many people are currently employed in the UK’s on shore and off shore wind industries? A: 5000

. How many new recruits does the British Wind Energy Association estimate that the wind energy industry need in the next 11 years? A: Between 17,000 and 52,000

. In the British wind industry, what are the main areas in which jobs can be found? (Looking for 6 answers) A: Planning (e.g. planning where wind farms can go), Development (developing businesses and implementing financial plans), construction and instillation (of the turbines and the machinery that uses their power to convert wind into electricity), operation and maintenance (must be able to cope with heights!), research and development (investigating new technology and designing solutions) and consultancy (moving around the country and helping businesses with any issues they may have).

. What does an Energy Analyst do? A: Make an assessment of the wind at a proposed wind farm and produce a reliable & independent prediction of the expected energy production.

. How much can you earn as an Energy Analyst? A: Starting salary of £20,000

. Where can you find more information about Wind Energy? A: www.wind-engery-the-facts.org

. Where can you find more information about STEM careers? A: www.futuremorph.org

. Where can you find more information about careers in maths? A: www.mathscareers.org.uk Exploring STEM Careers

Fact cards for students

19,000 people are employed in the UK’s space industry

100 companies are actively engaged in the UK space industry

The company Infoterra, a leading UK space industry company, is most famous for producing the Google Earth Services

According to one source, if all satellite telecommunications were switched off right now it would take one day for the global economy to grind to a halt The UK space industry requires the following skills: Numerical reasoning, Communication skills and Being able to apply scientific concepts to a wide range of situations

A graduate development programme is designed for people who have done a degree at university. People on graduate development programmes are often taken on for a certain amount of time and move around different parts of a company to get an overview of how the company works overall.

An apprenticeship is a framework of qualifications in which people learn more about a particular area. Apprentices are taken on in many of the STEM career areas.

You can find more information about the UK space industry by looking at the British National Space Centre website: www.bnsc.gov.uk

56,000 people are employed in the UK Nuclear Power Industry 11 new sites have been nominated to host nuclear power stations

Arguably the most famous person ever to work at a nuclear power plant is Homer Simpson!

Decommissioning is a process where older power stations and fuel processing facilities that they are no longer needed/able to run effectively are made safe – a lot of people are employed to perform this process

The nuclear fuel cycle is where uranium is made into fuel, used in the power station to produce electricity and then recycled or disposed. The skills of people employed by UK nuclear power companies is demand to support other companies in developing their own nuclear power infrastructure.

Large numbers of people will be retiring from nuclear industry in the next 15 years and 11 new power plants will potentially open up.

There will, therefore, be a lot of jobs in this sector.

The 5 sorts of jobs in the UK nuclear industry are: Design & construction of new power stations Processing and manufacturing nuclear fuel Maintaining nuclear powered submarines Operating the UK power sites Decommissioning redundant facilities The name of the apprenticeship framework associated with the nuclear industry is: Cogent Apprenticeship Framework

You can study Nuclear Engineering at: Lancaster University

You can find more information about the Nuclear Industry on the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency’s website www.nda.gov.uk

More information about jobs in the nuclear industry can be found on the website: www.cogent-careers.com This shows all of the roles in the nuclear industry, the salaries and their day to day duties.

A technical director in a power plant is responsible for leading and maintaining development of the plant performance in output, safety, environmental impact and use of material and fuel. The Director is also responsible for the Health and Safety management systems and for ensuring their application. A technical director in a power plant can earn between £50,000 and £90,000/year

To become a technical director in a power plant you have to have financial planning skills, be good at science and engineering, be able to lead & manage people

In the nuclear industry Technicians’ work in plants involves fault analysis, defect identification and repair, the routine maintenance and repair of a wide range of production plant and equipment and installation of new equipment. Supporting the work of production engineers and plant managers, technicians can also work in process development, design, construction and operations. Safety and quality of work are paramount.

You can become a nuclear industry technician through the apprenticeship route

5000 people are currently employed in the UK’s on shore and off shore wind industries The British Wind Energy Association estimates that the wind energy industry will need to recruit between 17,000 and 52,000 people in the next 11 years

In the British wind industry, the main areas in which jobs can be found are: Planning (e.g. planning where wind farms can go), Development (developing businesses and implementing financial plans), Construction and instillation (of the turbines and the machinery that uses their power to convert wind into electricity), Operation and maintenance (must be able to cope with heights!), Research and development (investigating new technology and designing solutions) Consultancy (moving around the country and helping businesses with any issues they may have)

An energy analyst is someone who makes an assessment of the wind at a proposed wind farm and produce a reliable & independent prediction of the expected energy production

The starting salary for an energy analyst is £20,000

More information about the Wind Energy Industry can be found on the website: www.wind-engery-the-facts.org You can find more information about STEM careers on the website: www.futuremorph.org

You can find more information about careers in maths on the website: www.mathscareers.org.uk