Camden STEAM

STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. The A stands for Creativity. It captures the belief that addressing STEM and Creativity together delivers greater value to individuals, employers, the local community and economy.

Camden STEAM Strategy 2022 to 2025

Camden STEAM Pledge 

Watch: Camden STEAM strategy launch at Google, King's Cross - short film (4 mins, 14 secs)

Camden STEAM Vision

We will work together building a future where Camden is a beacon of inclusive opportunity and innovation. Young people, regardless of background, will be inspired by STEAM opportunities and they will be ready for the world of work in Camden’s STEAM industries. STEAM employers will have access to a local diverse talent pipeline to meet their recruitment needs and help them to innovate and flourish. 

We equip Camden’s young people with the skills and opportunities to embark on a STEAM career by bringing together employers, educators and young people.   

“Working together we will make sure our young people have the opportunities they deserve, that employers can successfully recruit diverse talent locally, and that the local economy continues to thrive” – Cllr Georgia Gould, Leader of Camden Council and Chair of London Councils  

Camden STEAM brings opportunities in the digital, scientific and creative industries to life for Camden’s young people. Camden is home to innovative businesses and institutions from Google, Facebook, Lendlease and the Francis Crick Institute, to world-leading universities such as UCL and Central Saint Martins, and a huge range of thriving small and medium businesses and start-ups. Our job is to help young people see there could be a career for them just around the corner. 

We connect employers with schools so young people have a sense of the job opportunities that exist on their doorstep, as well as working together to create new opportunities.  

There are now 60 STEAM employers working with us and over 200 STEAM Ambassadors (employee volunteers) supporting Camden’s students. We work together to achieve our strategic objectives: 

1. Build young people’s awareness of STEAM industries, and support them to develop the skills, knowledge and attributes STEAM employers need 
2. Provide pathways and opportunities for young people to enter and succeed in STEAM careers  
3.  Engage young people from underrepresented backgrounds in STEAM and support a diverse talent pipeline 
4. Create an innovative and inclusive STEAM community for Camden that influences policy and supports growth  

Check out the School and Employer pages to get involved. 

Camden Learning is collaborating with Google to develop an AI Campus for Camden students 

Camden Learning, which is formed of Camden schools, and Camden Council’s STEAM programme are working to develop an AI Campus for pupils in the borough with support from Google. The Campus is in the earliest stages of design and development. It will aim to enable a diverse range of students to deepen their knowledge of AI and supporting subjects, as well as covering such things as the important ethical dimensions of AI and how it should best be used in the future, and the creativity and imagination involved in developing and applying new technologies.

The initiative has grown out of Camden’s Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths (STEAM) programme, in which world-leading companies and universities based in Camden partner with Camden Learning, the Council, and the local College. The main objectives of Camden’s STEAM strategy are to create more pathways for young people to enter and succeed in a STEAM career; to engage more young people from underrepresented backgrounds in STEAM training and opportunities; and for employers based in the borough to diversify their local talent pipeline.

We are keen to hear from partners interested in getting involved with Camden’s STEAM programme or the AI Campus. Please contact [email protected] to find out more.
 

We aim to reach every young person in a Camden state school, from Early Years to Year 13, every year with an impactful STEAM opportunity. We are here to support Camden schools by: 

• Brokering STEAM Ambassador activities (employee volunteers) 
• Co-ordinating the annual Camden STEAM Work Experience Programme each July for Year 12 students  
• Creating STEAM apprenticeship opportunities 
• Sharing impactful opportunities from our Camden STEAM Pledge partners – recent examples include a DeepMind Hackathon, Central Saint Martins Digital Innovation workshops, Ted Baker Business Challenge, Google Certificates and Meta Girls Rising Mentoring Programme. 

STEAM Ambassadors 

We have a network of over 200 STEAM Ambassadors drawn from over 60 Camden employers including Google, Lendlease, Arup, Meta, the Francis Crick Institute, Bennetts Associates (architects), LocalGlobe, Conran Design, Moonbug and many others.  Ambassadors have a wide range of experience between them and are keen to support Camden schools and young people, from giving a careers talk to working with you to design a lesson using their industry expertise. 

• Could you invite a STEAM Ambassador to share their industry expertise and career insights in a lesson?  
• Would you like to work alongside a STEAM Ambassador to co-design an activity, lesson or sequence of lessons for young people that enables them to learn about a particular industry and to practice skills relevant to that job?   

View a step-by-step guide for teachers setting up an employer partnership.

“A young person who has four or more meaningful encounters with an employer is 86% less likely to be unemployed or not in education or training, and can earn up to 22% more during their career.” Education and Employers Taskforce research 

How do I book a STEAM Ambassador?  

Please read and complete this form to request a partnership with a Camden STEAM Ambassador. Look at the STEAM Ambassador profiles page for examples of volunteers, their job description and how they might support schools and young people. 

“Our Year 1 classes held their STEAM exhibition last week for the Eco Cities they created in their project last half term. They were absolutely wonderful and the children really loved the project” – Teacher, Primrose Hill Primary School  

‘It’s opening their minds as to how the world of work works and how the subjects that they study in school are going to be applied… being creative, being visually literate is really crucial.” - Teacher, La Sainte Union Secondary School  

“What I could see was that this this real, deeper, interconnected knowledge between these different subjects as real creative application of knowledge.” - Schools Manager, Camden STEAM Hub 

“I would love for young people to learn that there are aspects of STEAM intertwined in everything we do as engineers in industry” –  STEAM Ambassador – structural engineer  

Work experience

In July 2023, Camden STEAM hosted Year 12 students in a week-long placement at 16 organisations including Google, Camden Council Inclusive Economy, Arup, Models 1, Moonbug Entertainment, BAM Nuttall, Bennetts Associates, British Land, British Library, Cadent,  Camden Council Digital and Data Services, Camden Spark, Hoare Lea, LabTech, Lendlease, SCS JV and St George PLC. 

This year STEAM Work Experience will run 8 to 12 July and our aim is to reach more than 350 students in 2024 with high-quality work experience placements, scaling up even further for 2025.

Last year:

• 94% of the young people who participated said that they have learnt new skills that they wouldn't have learnt at school or through other activities.
• Most young people have mentioned collaboration, teamwork, problem-solving and presentation skills as something they have been able to practice during their work experience week.
• 74% of the young people participating said that this was their first ever work experience
• Over 90% of young people feel more confident about entering the world of work having completed their work experience

Article: Celebrating Success of the Camden STEAM Work Experience 2023

Quotes from last year's students

"I learnt about the mindset I am supposed to approach my career with, which will definitely have me emotionally stable throughout
the highs and lows. I have developed my public speaking and networking skills, which I now know to be not too daunting to
use. I have learnt what not to do in a team setting, since my group had a lack of communication." Year 12 student on the Google STEAM placement, July 2023

"I’m amazed at how friendly and generous everyone has been, I didn’t think I’d be able to open up and speak to people, but I’m surprised and feel like I’ve really connected and bonded with people. I’ve gained clearer insight into roles I’m interested in going to. I was feeling vague about theatre and film industries but now my interest has intensified acutely. I’ll definitely look into more into them. It’s been like a job tour and springboard into what there is and what I’d be interested in doing." Year 12 student on the Camden Spark STEAM placement 

T Levels

T Levels are the new vocational qualification for 16 to 19-year-olds that combine classroom learning with real-world industry experience. Developed in collaboration with employers, these two-year courses offer students a unique pathway to kickstart their careers while achieving academic excellence. The Industry Placement is a crucial part of the qualification and one that T Level students are the most excited about when completing the course. 

September 2024 sees the exciting launch of 3 new T Levels in Camden, and we are working closely with those schools to ensure each student has a meaningful Industry Placement with one of the many exciting employers across a range of sectors in Camden, across a range of sectors. 

We offer support to schools through brokering relationships from across our network of employers and setting up a partnership with schools, ensuring that both school and employer feel supported and well set up to deliver an excellent T Level offer for students. 

If you are a school in Camden and would like to find out more about T Levels, the offer in Camden or how we can support you with your T Level planning, please contact [email protected]. 

“The Camden STEAM movement sets out a vision for close partnerships between industry, institutions, educators and young people, working together for a future where our scientific, creative and digital industries continue to innovate and flourish, providing opportunities for Camden’s young people to have fulfilling careers.  We invite you to join us in building that future” – Dinah Caine CBE, Chair of Camden STEAM Board & Chair of Governing Council, Goldsmiths, University of London 

Are you a business of any size in Camden’s scientific, digital and creative sectors? This might be data, engineering, design, theatre, life sciences, tech, architecture… the list goes on!

Join the Camden STEAM movement

Sign the Camden STEAM Pledge and work with us to support all young people in Camden schools with inspiring career insights and opportunities  

“The benefits of this STEAM partnership have been felt by our team at Google: not just in the feedback from our mentors, but in the tangible ways that these young people have helped shape our plans for the local area” – Zoe Stern, Head of Community Affairs Europe, Google 

“A young person who has four or more meaningful encounters with an employer is 86% less likely to be unemployed or not in education or training, and can earn up to 22% more during their career” – Education and Employers Taskforce research 

Camden STEAM Partners drive forward these principles in your work so together we achieve our Camden STEAM vision:  

•  Build young people’s awareness of STEAM industries, and support them to develop the skills, knowledge and attributes STEAM employers need 

•  Provide pathways and opportunities for young people to enter and succeed in STEAM careers  

•  Engage young people from underrepresented backgrounds in STEAM and support a diverse talent pipeline 

•  Create an innovative and inclusive STEAM community for Camden that influences policy and supports growth  
 

Camden STEAM Pledge

View the Camden STEAM Pledge and get in touch at [email protected]

We ask every STEAM Pledge Employer to commit to the STEAM Ambassadors and Work Experience programmes.

STEAM Ambassadors

Deliver career activities in schools to help us reach every young person, every year. STEAM Ambassadors are at the heart of the STEAM Pledge. STEAM Ambassadors are our network of employee volunteers in Camden primary and secondary schools. Camden STEAM trains and supports STEAM Ambassadors, and brokers activities that have a real impact for young people.

Work Experience

Welcome young people on work experience to enable every 16-18-year-old young person in Camden to access a placement, which has a significant impact for them. Host a group of young people during Camden’s STEAM Work Experience week each July, or commit a places on your existing programme to Camden state school students. Camden STEAM will guide you through the process of planning a high-quality placement and support you to recruit students from local schools. 

Placements are prioritised to those who are underrepresented in the STEAM field, including girls and those from a Black, Asian and Other Ethnic background as well as students who have not had work experience before. The benefits of the Work Experience Programme to Google are immense, not just in the feedback from our mentors who get a lot out of the experience working with young people, but in the tangible ways that these students are helping to shape our plans for the local area. The programme’s real-life projects were designed by our Marketing and Real Estate teams to learn from our neighbours and use their unique insights to inform our approach to the ground floor of our new building in King's Cross.  Amy Brown, Head of Creative Strategy, EMEA Events & Experiences, Ads and Marketing at Google 

“There are well researched impacts of work experience on young people’s aspirations, career-readiness, personal effectiveness and educational outcomes” Careers and Enterprise Company 2017.    

New for 2024: T levels 

T Levels are an exciting new vocational qualification for 16–19-year-olds, which have been designed with employers to revolutionise education and meet the demands of the modern workforce. They sit alongside A Levels and Apprenticeships, and offer young people a new option of Post-16 learning that combines classroom teaching with a 45 day, 315 hour Industry Placement. 

September 2024 sees the exciting launch of 3 new T Levels in Camden, with further T Levels launching in 2025 and 2026. It is an incredibly exciting time to get involved with T Levels as an employer. You can have real impact on young people in Camden, ensuring they have the skills required to succeed in your industry and you can spot talent early. 

T Levels being planned for delivery by Camden schools from September 2024

From September 2024:

• Acland Burghley: Media Broadcast and Production (Content Creation) 
• Haverstock: Management and Administration (Business Support) 
• Maria Fidelis: Science (Laboratory Sciences) 

From September 2025: 

• Parliament Hill: Education and Childcare 
• La Sainte Union: Digital Development 
• William Ellis: TBC

From September 2026: 

• Regent High: Finance or Investment Banking 
• UCL Academy: Engineering 

Employers can benefit from offering Industry Placements to T level students

The Industry Placement offers the young person the opportunity to put into practice what they have been learning in the classroom, along with growing their professional networks and developing social capital. There are also multiple benefits to the employer

Recruitment:  

• Unlock early talent from your local community 
• Fill entry-level positions and develop young talent 
• Build a talent pipeline for junior positions and apprenticeships 
• Avoid hefty recruitment costs by sourcing talent direct from local schools/colleges

Social Impact:

• Diversify your workforce  
• Add value to your local community through supporting social mobility  
• Enhanced brand image and awareness 

Staff Development:  

• Develop your current staff through offering opportunities to mentor and manage students  
• Extra pair of hands for projects or pieces of work 
• Fresh and exciting ideas for your business

There are many other ways to get involved with supporting T levels, including hosting a masterclass; judging a competition; or setting an industry-standard brief or task.

If you are an employer in Camden or the surrounding boroughs, and would like to find out more about how you can be involved in the Camden T Levels offer, please contact [email protected].

There are now over 60 STEAM employers working with us and over 200 STEAM Ambassadors (employee volunteers) supporting Camden’s students. Below is a sample of STEAM Ambassador profiles to exemplify the range of STEAM roles in Camden. 
 
Job Title: Mechanical Engineer
Business/organisation: Wayve Technologies
Job Role: Watch the Video Profile 
 
Job Title: Senior Creative
Business/organisation: Forever Audio
Job Role: I work in the audio creative team, turning client briefs into audio adverts by coming up with ideas and writing scripts. I also present to clients, brands and agencies to show them how powerful and emotional audio can be. Finally, I help train other members of the team on audio creativity. My involvement in STEAM so far: I helped to run an audio workshop with several young people, in which they learned more about my role, all the different things we do as a company and finally how to apply audio to a TV ad. The later part of the session was interactive and included the participants directing a voiceover, choosing music and even creating their own SFX.
 
Job Title: Architectural Assistant
Business/organisation: Bennetts Associates
Job Role: I work as part of a big team to design buildings. We think about every part of a building… what does it look like? What rooms we need? How do we find our way around it? What materials it is made from? I’m really interested in sustainability, so designing buildings that are good for the planet’s health. My favourite project was helping lead a ‘eco- masterplan’ project with Year 9 classes.
 
Job Title: Skills, Employment and Education Advisor
Business/organisation: SCS JV (Skanska, Costain STRABAG Joint Venture)
Job Role: Skanska Costain STRABAG joint venture (SCSjv), working on behalf of High Speed 2 (HS2) are delivering the London Tunnels section of the new high speed railway. The JV will complete works taking the railway from West Ruislip to Euston via Old Oak Common, building a variety of structures and will be running seven tunnel boring machines. My involvement in STEAM subjects so far: Allowing students to have exposure of the Construction and Engineering world, work experience with Environmental, Commercial, Engineering teams!  Supporting the ‘Build a Trainline’ tasks with students which allows them to have exposure and understand all elements involved from commercial to design. 

Job title: Postdoctoral Fellow  
Business/organisation: Francis Crick Institute 
Job role: I am working at the Francis Crick institute, after having completed my PhD in Germany in Summer 2021. Specifically, I am working in developmental biology, i.e., studying how the embryos develop (focusing on the nervous system) and how different cells arise from not-yet-specified progenitors (“stem cells”).” 
 
Job title: Head of Technology 
Business/organisation: Camden Council
Job role: Camden’s Technology Service includes Camden’s IT Service Centre, Infrastructure, Information & Cyber Security, Technology Adoption and the Schools IT Support Service, which delivers services to schools on a traded basis. 
 
Job title: Graduate Vertical Transportation Engineer. 
Business/organisation: Arup
Job role: Vertical Transportation within the buildings sector encapsulates lift, escalators, moving walkways and any mechanical devices which circulate people or things in around a space.  My role involves designing a solution which combines one or more of these transportation methods to ensure that the building moves people and things safely, effectively, and efficiently for its intended purpose. The design process involves, but is not limited to, simulating passenger traffic flow, surveying the equipment available on the market, and coordinating with architects and engineers to seamlessly integrate the design into the building. 
 
Job title: Senior Civil Engineer 
Business/organisation: Momentum Transport Consultancy
Job role: Civil Engineers plan, design and manage all kinds of construction projects, from bridges, buildings and stadiums, to roads and railway tracks. They are the people in between the artists and the builders. The tallest building in the United Kingdom is the Shard in London for example, this began as an idea from the artist’s (architect) imagination. The Civil Engineers had to think about how it was to be designed to make sure it was possible and safe to build. They have to make sure that the building is able to handle things such heavy wind and earthquakes. They then tell and show the builders how to build it. My favourite project (with schools) was always practical competitions. I’ve had two separate primary school STEM days where I have taught children how to make use of recycled material to construct boats, marble runs for example. What I found most valuable was showing them the value of re-using material but also different material properties and their strengths and weaknesses.
 
Job title: Product Development Manager
Business/organisation: Moonbug Entertainment
Job role: I work with external companies (licensees) to translate Moonbug’s brands into consumer products that bring our brands to life and sell at retail. My role specifically focuses on fashion-led products, and I use market research and trend forecasting to identify design and product trends and ensure we are creating the best possible brand assets internally for our partners to design great product with.
 
Job title: Senior Interaction Designer
Business/organisation: Google
Job role: My role involves striving to make Google products (specifically Android, which I work on) delightful to use, easy to understand and accessible to our billions of users. My team and I do this via a process of user research, creative ideation & problem solving, testing/prototyping solutions using a variety of digital tools and iterating based on feedback.
 
Job title: Software engineer
Business/organisation: Google 
Currently, I'm a software engineer at Google working in cybersecurity. Specifically I work on authentication on ChromeOS. I've been working at Google for about 4 years after graduating from College from University of Southern California
 
Job title: Digital Marketing Apprentice 
Business/organisation: Google - Waze team
Job role: . I am in charge of setting up campaigns for our clients, in which these campaigns are reflected on the Waze App with real life recognition and interaction on the Ad Units from everyday consumers. I also gather reports for our clients that show the progress of these campaigns and allow both ourselves and the client to assess whether or not our partnership is beneficial to them as a company.

STEAM Pledge Employers

• Argent
• Arup
• Arup Architecture
• AstraZenecaUK
• AutogenAI
• Bam Nuttall
• Bauer Media
• BBUK Studios
• Bennetts Associates
• British Library
• British Land
• Cadent
• Camden Town Unlimited
• Childrens’ Radio/Fun Kids Live
• Cockpit Arts
• Conran Design Group
• Central Saint Martin
• Eden Smith
• Eurostar International
• Exterion Media
• Farrans
• FM Conway
• Forever Audio
• Francis Crick Institute
• Gerald Eve
• Glenman Corporation
• Google
• Hatton Garden BID
• High Speed 1
• High Speed 2
• Hoare Lea
• Institute of Practitioners in Advertising
• Labtech
• Lambert Smith Hampton
•  Lendlease
•  LocalGlobe/Phoenix Court
• London Film School
• Mace Dragados JV
• Matrix SCM
• Meta
• McClaren Group
• Models 1
• Momentum Transport
• Moonbug Entertainment
• Morgan Sindall
• Mullaley
• Piercy & Company
• PineBridge Investments
• The Roundhouse
• RS Components
• SCS Railways
• Softwire
• Stantec
• Skanska
• Springer Nature
• St George PLC
• The Place
• Troup, Bywaters & Anders
• UCLH
• UCL
• UCL Cancer Institute
• Wayve
• Wellcome Trust