Leeds Trinity University and BASF collaborate to encourage girls into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers.
By Leah Sutcliffe
••3 min read
AI
Young women participating in a STEM workshop at a manufacturing site.
A flagship STEM outreach programme, ScienceXperience, is inspiring young women in Bradford by connecting classroom learning with real-world industrial applications.
A flagship programme is inspiring the next generation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), through hands-on science experiences designed for secondary school students. ScienceXperience, developed by Professor Leigh Hoath, Professor of Science Education at Leeds Trinity University, and run by BASF, has expanded to welcome secondary-aged students. The first event saw 11 girls from Bradford Forster Academy visit the BASF manufacturing site in Bradford for interactive experiments and to meet scientists and professionals.
The programme aims to showcase the wide range of career opportunities within science and manufacturing, challenging perceptions about who can pursue a job in STEM, where women currently account for just 26% of the UK's workforce. Students toured the facilities, seeing how classroom theory applies on an industrial scale.
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"Until now, ScienceXperience has focused on primary school pupils, so this expansion is a fantastic opportunity to show girls what science can look like beyond the classroom and inspire them to consider a wider range of STEM careers. By connecting learning with real-world applications and introducing students to scientists working in industry, we can build confidence, spark curiosity, and help more young women see STEM as an exciting pathway to their future."
Harriet Bean, Senior Quality Management Coordinator and Process Chemist at BASF Bradford and ScienceXperience Lead, highlighted the transformative power of STEM opportunities, drawing from her own apprenticeship experience. She expressed passion for encouraging more girls into science and manufacturing careers.
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"As a former apprentice, I know first-hand how transformative opportunities in STEM can be. My apprenticeship gave me the skills and confidence to build a rewarding career in science. As a woman working in STEM, I'm passionate about helping more girls see that science and manufacturing offer exciting opportunities and a wide range of career paths. I'm delighted that our first ScienceXperience event in Bradford focused on inspiring young women to consider a future in STEM."
Ellen Parsons, Progress Leader of Science at Bradford Forster Academy, noted the significant benefit to students from the visit, praising the practical experiments and the staff's enthusiasm. She added that students were particularly interested in the apprenticeship and career pathways offered.
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"Our students gained a great deal from their visit to BASF. They thoroughly enjoyed the practical laboratory experiments and were particularly impressed by the knowledge and enthusiasm of the staff, who took the time to answer their questions in depth. Students also showed a strong interest in the apprenticeship and career pathways available and valued the opportunity to speak with employees who had progressed through these routes themselves. The visit was both inspiring and informative, and a fantastic experience for all involved."
BASF and Professor Hoath plan to continue developing the programme in Bradford, fostering partnerships with local schools and communities to increase awareness of STEM opportunities, especially for underrepresented groups. ScienceXperience recently won The Herald Scottish Community Impact Award for its activities at the BASF Callanish site.
