The Big Bang Fair to ignite young people’s passion for STEM

Taking place from 21 to 23 June 2023 at the NEC in Birmingham, registration for free tickets to attend is now open. The Fair is aimed at young people aged 10 to 13 – who can attend with their school, or with their family or community group during The Big Bang Fair Unlocked session. Young people will have the opportunity to meet real engineers and scientists and get involved in hands-on activities, exciting live shows and career panels.

The Fair provides an ideal opportunity to showcase to young people the breadth of careers available in STEM, and inspire them to consider entering the sector. Given the UK’s acute skills shortage and ambitions to meet net zero by 2050, engagement activities such as this are vital for helping the sector to secure a skilled and diverse future workforce.

"The Big Bang Fair is an excellent opportunity for the sector to come together to demonstrate the diverse range of careers available for young people. With the growing demand for more engineers and technicians, we need to encourage more young people, from all backgrounds, to want to pursue a career in this field," said Phillip McShane, associate director - Big Bang programme at EngineeringUK.  

"We know that STEM outreach activities play a key part in changing the perceptions and attitudes young people feel towards careers in the sector, so The Fair is a prime opportunity for employers to get in front of young people and really make a difference.”

A student, who attended last year’s Fair, said: "The Big Bang Fair is an absolutely amazing experience. There are different business opportunities, education opportunities - I got that in abundance but I got a whole load of other things as well: first-hand experience doing coding, driving a drone, CPR. All these things play a vital part in our life."

Also taking place at the Fair, will be the awards ceremony for the popular Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition. Winners will be announced, including the crowning of the prestigious UK Young Engineer and UK Young Scientist of the Year.

The Competition, which is free to enter, is open to young people in the UK aged 11 to 18 in state funded education, who are home educated or who enter as part of a community group. There’s still time for young people to get involved – with The Competition open for entries until 30 March.

With tickets for The Big Bang Fair always booking up quickly - teachers, families and community groups are advised to book their free tickets early, to avoid disappointment: www.thebigbang.org.uk/fair

Find out more about The Big Bang Competition at: www.thebigbang.org.uk/competition