From pharma labs to the Council Chamber: two visits that showed Northumberland’s young people what’s possible
Connect Northumberland’s Connect Inspires programme has taken young people from two very different schools into two very different worlds and the results were everything we could have hoped for.
Arcinova, Alnwick
Year 7 students from Bede Academy visited Arcinova, a Quotient Sciences company, for an introduction to the pharmaceutical industry that was anything but ordinary. Host Stephen Byard didn’t just tell the students about the world of pharma, he put it in their hands. A series of experiments got the group fully immersed, and the questions came thick and fast throughout. Energy levels were helped along by a well-timed snack break.A tip we’re now officially passing on to every employer who opens their doors to us.
Northumberland County Council, Morpeth
A mixed-age group from Hillcrest School visited County Hall in Morpeth, where Julie McIntosh welcomed them into the stunning Council Chamber. The students discovered the remarkable breadth of roles and career pathways within local government, something most young people have never considered. Followed by a tour of the building and goody bags to send them on their way. Another group of curious, engaged young people who left knowing more about their county than when they arrived.
Both visits are a reminder of why Connect Inspires matters. The careers that exist in Northumberland are genuinely exciting – but young people can only aspire to what they can see. Every employer who opens their doors makes the invisible visible.
