AFBE-UK Scotland careers event at Heriot-Watt University

An Aberdeen social enterprise, which promotes engineering to young people as a career choice, is to hold its first event in Edinburgh on Saturday.

AFBE-UK Scotland is to stage its Transition event at Heriot-Watt University from 10pm to 5.30pm. Transition involves industry professionals giving up their time to help students and graduates gain an insight to what it takes to have a career in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

The event features activities geared at preparing undergraduate and postgraduate students, including mock interviews, case studies, assessments, CV reviews and networking advice. In addition, there will be presentations from Lynn Willacy, community and STEM ambassador at Air Products UK & Ireland and Jonathan Edet, reservoir engineer at BP.

According to a survey, 70% of people said the Transition programme had been a factor in them securing a relevant job within 12 months of attending the event. More than 90% said Transition made them more confident in interviews.

Dr Ollie Folayan, chairman of AFBE-UK Scotland, said: “We’re thrilled to be holding our first event outwith Aberdeen. This is a key part in the development of AFBE-UK Scotland. We’re looking forward to taking Transition to Edinburgh.”

The Transition event, at the student union at Riccarton, is open to students and recent graduates. The event is free to attend but registration is required: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/transition-edinburgh-tickets-52099428794

AFBE-UK Scotland is a not-for-profit organisation that promotes diversity and inclusion. It encourages all young people, particularly those of black and minority ethic (BME) origin, to consider a career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. The group, which has engaged with thousands of young people across Aberdeen, was established in 2011. More than 80 students and recent graduates attended the Aberdeen Transition event at Robert Gordon University earlier this month (Feb 16).

AFBE-UK Scotland has two other engagement programmes: its schools programme, NextGen, in which industry professionals give up their time to highlight engineering as a career choice to pupils and Real Projects, which gives graduates and young engineers the opportunity to engage with seasoned industry veterans, usually with UK and international project expertise.