Sparking tomorrow’s High Performing Pipeline: Why FidesOak® is backing Aberdeen Science Centre
If we want young people to step confidently into the UK’s high hazard industries, including energy, engineering, marine and manufacturing, we cannot begin the conversation when they are choosing GCSEs. Their interest in science, technology and problem solving starts long before that point.
Curiosity begins early. Long before children know what a career looks like. Long before anyone has told them that science is hard. And well before stereotypes or self doubt have the chance to creep in.
This is why FidesOak® is proud to sponsor Aberdeen Science Centre. It is a place where STEM becomes exciting, hands on and real, and where children of all ages can discover that they are capable, creative and able to contribute. For us, this partnership is part of our commitment to support the community we live and work in, and to strengthen the long term capability of the sectors we serve.
Why early STEM engagement matters
There is now strong evidence showing that early exposure to STEM has a lasting impact.
- Education Scotland’s STEM Learner Engagement Review highlights that the move from primary to secondary school is a crucial turning point. Children who have had positive, hands on science experiences before that point are more confident, more curious and more likely to imagine themselves in STEM roles.
- The long running ASPIRES study from King’s College London and now UCL found that although many young people enjoy science, very few connect that enjoyment with a possible career. What makes the difference is early, relatable and sustained experiences that link STEM to real people and real purpose.
Together, these findings point to the same conclusion, if we wait until children are teenagers, we miss the window where confidence and curiosity take root.
A talent pipeline under pressure
Across the UK, high hazard industries are already feeling the strain. The Institution of Engineering and Technology’s latest skills report shows that employers face ongoing challenges in finding the technical and digital skills they need, with sustainability linked expertise becoming increasingly important.
Workforce assessments such as the Government’s Clean Energy Skills Review also highlight a growing gap in STEM, digital, mechanical and leadership capabilities.
These reports focus on skills, but mindset matters just as much. Curiosity, confidence and the willingness to learn help people step into complex environments and perform safely. Those qualities are shaped long before anyone arrives on a site. They begin with early experiences of experimenting, questioning and working things out.
Performance starts before the workplace
At FidesOak®, we see performance as the ability to achieve outcomes through clarity, collaboration and continuous learning. When children build, test, try, fail, adjust and try again in a STEM environment, they are practising the same fundamentals that underpin high performance at work.
They are learning how to
- handle uncertainty
- work together to solve problems
- treat mistakes as useful information
- connect what they learn to the world around them
These capabilities strengthen over time, and early experiences play a significant role in shaping them.
From early STEM to high performing culture
The link between childhood experiences and workplace culture is closer than it appears.
- Curiosity. Children who ask why often become adults who challenge assumptions and look for better ways of working.
- Confidence and communication. Early STEM builds confidence around complex ideas and supports clearer communication later in life.
- Diversity and inclusion. When all children have access to STEM early, gaps in representation begin to close, which supports stronger and more resilient teams.
- Community connection. When families experience STEM together, they see industry as purposeful and human, strengthening trust between communities and the sectors around them.
Why this partnership matters to FidesOak®
Our work focuses on people and performance, helping teams build alignment, share information, support one another and work safely and effectively.
The five elements of our High Performing Teams (HPT®) Framework, Team Cohesion, Leadership, Information Sharing, Vision and Goal Sharing, and Psychological Safety, are just as relevant in classrooms as they are on industrial sites.
Our support for Aberdeen Science Centre reflects these same principles. It brings together families, educators and industry. It encourages curiosity without fear of failure. It helps young people see their own potential and understand how learning today connects to contribution tomorrow.
For us, this is not about charity. It is about investing in the long term capability, confidence and imagination of the people who will one day shape the systems that keep our society moving.
Building a performance legacy together
Aberdeen Science Centre has been a place of discovery for generations. Its programmes give thousands of children the chance to get hands on with robotics, chemistry, coding, energy and more. Through our sponsorship, we are helping ensure that more young people, including those who may not otherwise have the opportunity, can access these experiences.
Performance does not begin on a site or in a control room. It begins much earlier, in the places where curiosity is sparked, where questions are welcomed and where children start to see themselves as capable.
The earlier we engage, the more prepared, adaptable and high performing our future workforce will be. At FidesOak®, we believe performance is not a target, it is a culture, and culture begins with curiosity.
Author: Paula Paterson, Solutions Director, FidesOak®
Share
