Initiative aims to attract more young people into food and farming careers
Over 180 secondary school students have experienced how science and technology impacts the food grown in Britain at an event funded by Growing Kent & Medway.
The event on 4 July, held at Canterbury Christ Church University and coordinated by The STEM Hub, was part of an initiative aimed at inspiring a new generation of young people to consider a STEM-related career in food and farming.
Hands-on workshops throughout the day highlighted the vast array of careers and opportunities in the agri-tech sector in Kent and Medway. A keynote talk by APS Produce showed the science involved in growing 91 million tomatoes each year, from high-tech climate control data management to the growing role of robotics.
Practical sessions allowed students to explore diverse careers, including artificial intelligence and data scientists monitoring crops for diseases; technologists using 3D food printers to make tasty snacks; and geneticists breeding tastier or more drought-tolerant strawberries.
Students aged between 11-13 years from 11 different schools around Kent and Medway attended the free event.
The event was delivered by The STEM Hub at Canterbury Christ Church University, which coordinates the STEM Ambassador Programme across the south east to inspire young people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The event was funded by Growing Kent & Medway as part of their programme to inspire the next generation of skilled workers in the fresh produce sector for 2030.
Simon Barnes, director of Growing Kent & Medway, said: “Inspiring a new generation of engineers, technologists, and plant scientists into the sector is vital for the future sustainability and security of food production in the UK. We hope this stimulating day has changed the students’ and teachers’ perceptions of what careers in growing fresh produce involve; we are now more robotics and machine learning than wellies in fields!”
