May 18th, 2023

Girls Take Up Space at Spaceport Cornwall STEM Event

  • Spaceport Cornwall hosted a Girls in STEM event showcasing Cornwall’s STEM career opportunities
  • 400 people from the local community attended the event, including students, teachers, parents and guardians
  • The event featured hands-on activities and educational discussions from 20 local Space and STEM businesses

Spaceport Cornwall welcomed 400 people to its Girls in STEM event yesterday (17th May), showcasing the broad range of opportunities available to young girls and non-binary people in Cornwall who are interested in pursuing STEM careers.

Attendees took part in hands-on activities and educational discussions from Spaceport Cornwall’s partners, talking about routes into the space and tech industry and the varied and exciting world of space and STEM on their doorstep. 

To date, more than 500 aerospace, space and data companies have established UK and international operations in Cornwall. The sector continues to grow and thrive in the county, with a GVA of £88m and employment in the sector up 24% since 2018.

The event took place in the Space Systems Integration Facility (SSIF) at Spaceport Cornwall and featured exhibits from 20 Cornish businesses working within the space and wider STEM sector, including: Cornwall College, Cornish Lithium, Goonhilly, Avanti, TecWomen, Software Cornwall, Spaceport Cornwall, Halo, CSATT, Discovering 42, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Digital Skills Partnership, Foot Anstey, Inspirit 360 Sdn Bhd, My Coast, Next STeps South West, Piran Advanced Composites, Real Ideas, Royal Navy, The Roseland Observatory, Penwith and Truro College, University of Exeter and Microsoft.

Visitors also had the opportunity to get up close to the 72ft replica rocket that currently resides at the Spaceport.

Melissa Quinn, Head of Spaceport Cornwall, said: “The growing number of opportunities within the space and tech sectors for young people in Cornwall is hugely exciting. Beyond this, we’re here to put the ‘A’ in STEM – highlighting the careers within the arts and creative industries within our sector. We were thrilled to be able to welcome these girls and their families here to Spaceport to experience a taste of what Cornwall has to offer and hopefully inspire them to reach for the stars; exploring a career in STEAM on their doorstep.

Jess Ratty, Founder and CEO, Halo PR & Communications: “We were so excited to be part of the Take Up Space event at Spaceport Cornwall, where we had the opportunity to showcase the diverse and exciting career paths within the space and wider STEM sector. As a communications business, we believe in the power of creativity and innovation, and events like these are crucial in highlighting the importance of arts and communication in the space industry. We hope that our participation has inspired these young individuals to consider the non-traditional careers available to them in this thriving sector.”