Sci-Tech Daresbury Secures Prestigious Win at UKSPA Ruby Anniversary Awards

Sci-Tech Daresbury and the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) public engagement activities across the North West have won the inaugural Future of Work award at the UKSPA 40^th Anniversary Awards.

The accolade was awarded in recognition of Sci-Tech Daresbury’s commitment to developing the next generation of STEM talent, alongside local partners, as well as their dedication to their RADAR strategy launched 5 years ago to help companies on the Liverpool City Region campus be more effective at attracting, developing, and retaining the talent they need. This commitment has included a project that has so far worked with 3,700 young people across the Halton Borough area from November 2022 to July 2024; engaging with 2,994 children and 138 teachers through 100 events, reaching over 50% of local primary schools.

The project, co-created and delivered by STFC’s Gina Czarnecki, Public Engagement Officer alongside Sci-Tech Daresbury, has already helped five schools who participated in intervention programs to set up their own coding clubs, whilst 34 schools have incorporated the project’s activity resources into their teaching. Programs like this are imperative in helping the next generation feel inspired and achieve their full potential.

The project has been particularly impactful in Halton where young people are now considering how their new-found skills and confidence in coding and creative making could link to future opportunities on their doorstep.

Gina Czarnecki, STFC’s Public Engagement Officer for Halton Borough said: “I’m really excited to have the work we have been doing in Halton recognised by UKSPA. The recognition is a testament to the great collaboration efforts between STFC, Sci-Tech Daresbury, and the Halton community.

“The project has focused on creating enriching experiences and opportunities for young people across Halton, and this award highlights the positive impact of our work.”

Councillor Stef Nelson, Halton Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment & Renewal, and Member of Daresbury’s Public Sector Joint Venture Board, said: “This award is great news as it is recognition for the excellent partnership working and commitment to supporting Halton’s young people to consider careers in STEM, improving opportunities for local people and helping companies at Sci-Tech Daresbury attract the skilled employees they need.”

As part of its outreach work, Sci-Tech Daresbury has established a strategic Further Education partnership with Riverside College in Widnes, supporting A Level students as they choose their university degrees. Students were invited to meet with campus companies and STFC staff in order to find out more about science and technology careers. To date, over 10 companies, from start-ups to blue chips, have taken part, showcasing their work to 130 students. In doing so they offered personal stories, providing snippets into their technology careers to inspire attendees.

Riverside College has also supported the STFC apprenticeship programme through its delivery of engineering apprenticeships. The programme, part of the STFC Skills Centre, has launched more than 400 careers since its first apprentices in 1992.

To further advocate for young talent in the North West, Sci-Tech Daresbury has hosted an annual University Fair for 10 years, welcoming regional universities from Manchester, Liverpool and Lancaster to the campus. This is particularly key to both drive talent retention in the region and support campus companies as they scale.

This holistic approach to tackling the talent challenge has seen only 31% of companies at Sci-Tech Daresbury state that their growth is constrained by a lack of skills, this is less than half of the UK average of 78% of companies as measured in the Open University 2022 Business Barometer.

Looking ahead, Sci-Tech Daresbury plans to continue primary school activity with an even greater emphasis on teacher training, as well as boosting secondary school engagement by developing more challenging resources for pupils, supporting further coding club opportunities, and kickstarting in person advisory clinics both for students within schools and as part of future community opportunities.

John Leake, Business Growth Director at Sci-Tech Daresbury, said: “It’s such an honour to take home this Future of Work award for our work alongside our JV partners, Langtree, STFC, and Halton Borough Council, in bringing science and technology to life for young people across Halton and the wider region. It is encouraging to see the impact that our 5-year journey with our RADAR strategy has made, helping our companies increase their potential to attract, develop, and retain the talent they need facilitating their ability to scale more rapidly. It is especially gratifying to be honoured by UKSPA, as I know so many of our colleagues across the country do such great work in their respective communities.

“Here at Sci-Tech Daresbury, we believe in harnessing the collective power and knowledge of the companies on campus to make a real difference in local communities, as well as inspiring the next generation to pursue rewarding careers in science and technology.

“This accomplishment encourages us to continue to break new ground with our RADAR strategy, using our campus ecosystem and partnerships to bolster young talent, increase companies capabilities, and create opportunity wherever possible.”