How can I arrange a series of activities?

Our collections bring together quality assured experiences with supporting resources which you can use together to inspire your students about engineering careers - and keep them inspired.

Jump straight to the collections!

You can choose how to deliver the sessions, collaborating with colleagues across the school, or facilitating them yourself. Some of the sessions could be delivered in class, and some in form groups during pastoral time, it depends what works for you and your students.

All of the experiences on Neon will help your school deliver the Gatsby benchmarks, especially benchmark 4. Linking curriculum learning to careers, benchmark 5. Encounters with employers and employees and benchmark 6. Experiences of workplaces.

There are lots of great opportunities that come with a career in engineering. Engineering and technology solves real world problems and can make the world a better place. Engineers are in demand, they are a vital part of the drive to deliver a net zero economy, and are well paid for what they do.

There is increasing recognition that, however inspiring, fun and informative a STEM outreach activity may be, on its own a single experience is unlikely to have a long lasting impact on young people’s aspirations towards STEM careers.¹

We believe that presenting young people with a sequence of linked activities and resources will increase their interest in a career in engineering, as well as their understanding of the breadth of opportunities that are available to them.

Learn more about how our collections are built.

Experiences are activities which are provided by the 100+ organisations we work with. They have all passed the Neon Quality Standards.

Resources are the posters, leaflets and other materials that EngineeringUK produce to inform young people about a career in engineering and technology. All of our resources are free.

Case studies are video and written profiles of people working in different roles in engineering and technology, which can be shared with young people.

Getting started

These Neon collections will help you get the Engineering into your STEM careers provision. Each one is split over 2 terms, and has a mix of Neon experiences, case studies and materials. You will find links to the content at the bottom of each collection.

The included Neon experiences and resources will help your students build skills in Problem Solving, Creativity and Teamwork. The Neon Quality Standards ensure that all experiences we list are linked to the Gatsby Benchmarks.

Our research shows that students who attend outreach activities like the ones on Neon are 3.4 times more likely to consider a career in engineering.

Increasing students' awareness of the changing labour market, especially in engineering and technology, strengthens their approaches to transitions and enhances career readiness. High-quality careers education can bridge initial disadvantages among students, ensuring equitable opportunities. It also aligns career interests with market demands: girls who achieve a 100% career readiness score are twice as likely to pursue engineering.

Introducing engineering careers collection

A collection of free, quality assured experiences and resources that introduce your students to engineering and technology careers over 2 terms.

Suitable for all STEM teachers.

Engineering for everyone careers collection

A collection of experiences and resources that introduces all students, especially girls, to engineering and technology careers over 2 terms.

The experiences in this collection are all available online, and are are free, and quality assured.

Tech solutions to climate change careers collection

A collection that introduces your students to engineering and technology careers using tech solutions to climate change as a focus.

The experiences and resources are free and quality assured, and can be delivered over 2 terms.

Data science and technology careers collection

This collection is designed to introduce your students to the exciting world of data science, computer science, and meteorology.

Over 2 terms, through a series of engaging experiences, resources, and case studies, students will explore how these fields intersect and the diverse career opportunities they offer.

Energy careers collection

This collection is designed to introduce your students to the dynamic and impactful world of energy.

Over 2 terms, through a series of engaging experiences, resources, and case studies, students will explore various aspects of the energy sector, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, and the diverse career opportunities available in this field.

Wales engineering careers collection

Croeso! This collection is designed to introduce your students to the exciting world of STEM careers, with a special focus on experiences available in Wales.

Over 2 terms, through a series of engaging experiences, resources, and case studies, students will explore various aspects of STEM fields, including renewable energy, physics, and gender diversity in STEM.

Our approach

Our research showed that the activities in a collection should include five key elements:

They should show what engineering and technology jobs can achieve.
They should make links between young people's interests and strengths and engineering and technology jobs.
They should challenge stereotypes.
They give young people the opportunity to develop and use their skills.
They should recognise and celebrate those skills.

The Neon team curated the collections on this page carefully to ensure that they contain all of the five elements above. We believe that this means that using these pathways will increase your students engagement with engineering careers.

We have suggested a sequence of how you could use the resources, but you may wish to use them in a different order.

¹Archer, M., DeWitt, J., Davenport, C., Keenan, O., Coghill, L., Christodoulou, A., ... & Hou, L. (2020). Going beyond the one-off: How can STEM engagement programmes with young people have real lasting impact?. arXiv preprint arXiv:2003.06162.