More than 50 primary schoolchildren from Laxey and Dhoon Schools enjoyed a morning of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) activities thanks to an island business.

The children had originally been due to attend the Isle of Man STEMFest event at the Villa Marina last October but the severe flooding in Laxey left them unable to go.

Not wishing the pupils to miss out, Manx Telecom hosted an alternative mini-STEMFest at its headquarters in the Isle of Man Business Park.

Activities enjoyed by the children included 3D printing, virtual reality experiences, a lava lamp challenge and learning about levers, forces and chemical reactions as well as new technology.

The event was also supported by PDMS, Love Tech, Swagelok, Triumph, Strix, Manx Utilities, Manx Precision Optics and RLC.

The original STEMFest was organised by the ACE Steering Group (a sub-committee of the Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce) and employed.im as a way of demonstrating the wide variety of career paths that are available in the Isle of Man.

Manx Telecom’s people business partner, Kelley Corlett said it was important that the pupils from Laxey and Dhoon did not miss out on the experience: ’STEMFest is a great way to engage young people in a hands-on, fun environment where they can see how theories and ideas can be applied in practice to make our world a better place.

’As our employees of the future, it’s vital all students in the Isle of Man get the opportunity to understand the options open to them and the skills that are needed by businesses and society to solve problems, innovate and keep the island at the forefront of technological development.

’We were very pleased to provide the STEMFest experience to Laxey and Dhoon pupils who all seemed to enjoy the day immensely.

’Thank you also to Department for Enterprise Minister Laurence Skelly and DfE business development manager Kirree Gooberman for coming along to support the event in person.’