STUDENTS were given some inspiring ideas about careers in science, engineering and maths (STEM) by two major employers. 

Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Airbus teamed up with the Education and Employers charity for a talk at Chester's Storyhouse cultural centre.

Forty pupils from four schools attended. They heard from representitives from both firms about the range of careers available in the financial services and aerospace sectors through an inspirational talk and speed networking session.

The event was part of an Inspiring the Future programme.

Launched in 2012, it now includes almost 85% of state schools and nearly 35,000 volunteers from more than 10,000 organisations.

Andrea Litherland, head of cyber security defence at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, said: “We’re extremely proud of our involvement in Inspiring the Future.

“Around half our employees are technologists – and we pride ourselves on being at the cutting edge of tech innovation.

“Events such as this provide a great opportunity for us to raise awareness of the huge variety of career paths available for young people in STEM – so that we can build a pipeline of diverse talent.”

Nick Chambers, CEO of Education and Employers, added: “We want to ensure young people are aware of the vast range of jobs and career routes open to them by meeting volunteers from the world of work.

”This is of crucial importance when tackling the under-representation of women in STEM sectors.”