February 10, 2017 - It would seem there is little understanding of professions within the built environment and few young people aspire to a career in this important sector of the British and global economy.  It is with this serious skills shortage in mind that the organisers of GEO Business 2017 are delighted to announce the launch of a brand new educational element to the show – GEO Careers.  Working alongside Alison Watson from Class of Your Own (COYO), they have together developed a full day of enticing activities and presentations for students aged 14-19, with the aim of demonstrating just how exciting the geospatial industry is and why they should choose a ‘geo’ career path. 

Taking place on 24th May alongside GEO Business in London, the programme will consist of several talks from industry professionals highlighting their own careers, experience and expertise.  This will be followed by a group activity to scan the exhibition hall (the roof of which is a feat of engineering ingenuity in itself) and digitally model it, encouraging collaboration, ownership and the real life application of maths and technology skills outside of the classroom.  A panel of esteemed judges will then review each of the models, presenting the winners with an action packed day out behind the scenes at one of the UK’s current infrastructure projects.  

Alison, Managing Director (and land surveyor) at COYO, wrote the accredited ‘Design Engineer Construct!’ (DEC!) curriculum which integrates the technical areas of sustainability, architecture, engineering and construction into a fun “learn anytime, anywhere” approach.  The course has subsequently been adopted by schools across the UK to inspire the next generation of built environment professionals. At GEO Business 2017, students studying the ‘DEC!’ course at Clacton Coastal Academy, Essex have been selected to visit GEO Business, on a fully funded trip that will assist with their coursework and broaden their minds as to the potential paths their careers could take.
 
When talking about this collaborative project, Alison commented, ‘We could not be more excited to work with the GEO Business team enabling students to visit the UK’s largest geospatial event.  This will not only be a fantastic experience for the students but industry will also have the opportunity to engage with the next generation and help cultivate their natural interest in the technical world of geospatial technology.’

GEO Business Event Director Caroline Hobden commented, ‘We have been working towards this for quite some time now, so it is extremely satisfying to see our hard work come to fruition.  We are absolutely thrilled to be working with Class Of Your Own (COYO) to launch such a worthwhile programme at the show.  We are looking forward to welcoming the students of Clacton Coastal Academy on this maiden voyage and to growing this event so that we can welcome more schools, colleges and universities in years to come.’  

GEO Careers is also open to DEC! teachers from across the UK, who will have the opportunity to come to the show, benefit from complimentary access to the main conference and enjoy their own focused training session from professionals within industry, aiming to fully arm them with knowledge of the latest technology and techniques to take back to their students and further educate and inspire them. 
For further information on GEO Careers, please contact Caroline Hobden directly,  Email Contactor call +44 (0) 1453 836363.   



Contact: 

Sophie Potten
Marketing Manager
Diversified Business Communications UK
t. +44 (0)1453 836363
e.  spotten@divcom.co.uk
www.GeoBusinessShow.com