Returning for its 10th iteration between 27th – 30th October, Edinburgh Science announces its annual Careers Hive, a 4-day long schools’ event at the National Museum of Scotland.
P7 and S1-3 pupils from schools across Scotland will be in attendance, uncovering the possibilities of a career in STEM (science, technical, engineering, maths) through hands-on activities and discussions with STEM professionals.
Throughout the day, Careers Hive can be accessed by pre-booked schools only, with families and visitors invited to explore the Grand Gallery Interactive Exhibition activities each evening from 3:15 to 5pm.
Pupils attending Careers Hive will be able to experience:
Grand Gallery Interactive Exhibition with four themed zones where they engage with STEM professionals and try out different hands-on activities related to real jobs including examining artifacts in the NMS collection, testing forms of housing insulation, and exploring the technology behind hearing aid devices.
TheThink Tank, a dedicated space for pupils to informally chat one-on-one with STEM professionals and ask the questions that matter to them most.
Life After Leaving School: A panel discussion during which they hear from early-career STEM professionals from a range of industries about their education and career stories.
Showcasing that there is no one pathway to achieving your careers goals, this year’s panel includes speakers with diverse educational backgrounds and journeys who are working in industries across Scotland today.
Panellists include Cameron Clark, a modern apprentice with Scottish Water who was recently named Net Zero Apprentice of the Year 2025, and Mahzabin Sheikh who gained a Master’s degree in Mental Health before discovering an interest in coding and completing a Software Engineering Apprenticeship.
Also appearing as a panellist is Patricia Berakova who completed an apprenticeship with Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and now works with rare and endangered plants in their research collection. Meg Scott is on-track to become a civil engineer, having completed a three-year Graduate Apprenticeship job and was recently named Graduate Apprentice of the Year, recognising her contribution to meeting Scotland’s net zero targets through her work on active travel schemes with AECOM. Named as one of The Young Women’s Movement’s 30 under 30 in 2022, Abi Gardner is a geographer and ecologist at NatureScot and the youngest ever Trustee at Changeworks, one of Scotland’s largest environment charities.
Director and CEO at Edinburgh Science Hassun El-Zafar, said: “We are delighted to bring Careers Hive back to the National Museum of Scotland … offering 2,000 pupils an opportunity to think about their futures and discover the wide-ranging opportunities available in the STEM sector. As the demand for STEM skills continues to grow, addressing the skills gap is more urgent now than ever before.
By connecting with real-life STEM professionals, Careers Hive visitors will learn about the incredibly varied skills and strengths required by the organisations and industries working to make the world a better place.
The event, that is supported by Baillie Gifford; Edina Trust; City of Edinburgh Council; Edinburgh Airport; British Army; Illumina; Institute of Acoustics; Merck; Red Rock Renewables; Resilience Skills; ST and Vattenfall, runs from 27th – 30th Oct at the National Museum of Scotland.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 