The Sparks Series

What does a co-founder of an international fashion brand, a record breaking adventurer, an engineer working on space exploration, all have in common?  They are just some of the inspirational speakers who you can hear speak at Chesterfield College as part of the Sparks Series of free lectures and workshops.

The Sparks Series is designed to inspire school and college students, from Year 9 upwards, into a range of careers and university-level study.

The lectures, funded by and part of the DANCOP initiative, cover a range of topics delivered by expert speakers who give the audience real food for thought and a unique insight into their journey to success.

For schools:

A range of relevant and exciting workshops are offered to students in Year 9 to 11 following each of the lectures.

Programme:

12pm  Arrival, lunch and introductions

12.45-1.45pm Lecture and question and answer session

1.45-3.00pm Workshops and close

Funding for schools may be available for transport on request.

For college students: 

Join us, in The Studio Theatre in North Block 3, for the lecture and question and answer session starting at 12.45pm. You will have the chance to ask our guest speaker any questions you have about their lecture before we finish at 2pm.

What’s on:

21 November 2019  –  James Gold  How to build a business and believe in your own ideas

James Gold is a successful entrepreneur and businessman who has taken the fashion world by storm after co-founding the internationally recognised brand Skinnydip. Currently operating in over 250 retail locations in over 30 countries, they have a team of over 300 and a cult-like following on social media.

James will talk about his journey of growing his business from initial idea to launching a flagship store.

 

11 February 2020  – Alex Staniforth  Achieving your Everest.

Aged just 22, Alex Staniforth is a record-breaking adventurer, inspirational speaker and author. He has already made two attempts to climb to the top of Mount Everest. Now he is dedicated to inspiring others to overcome their own ‘Everest’ in life.

Alex is no stranger to adversity: overcoming epilepsy, stammering and bullying in earlier life. More recently he has openly suffered mental illness including depression, anxiety and an eating disorder. Through his story Alex is a compelling example that obstacles are an opportunity to win.

 

23 April 2020  – Ruth Amos  Make it to make it

Ruth Amos is passionate about inventing, science, engineering and entrepreneurship.  Her passion started when she designed an award winning solution to help people with mobility problems use their stairs confidently and safely as part of her GCSE resistant materials project. The StairSteady design helped her to win Young Engineer of the Year in 2006. She then set up her own company and brought the product to market when she was studying for her A Levels.

Ruth now runs StairSteady Ltd full time and organises the distribution and fitting of the StairSteady across the UK, Canada and the USA and parts of Europe.

 

09 July 2020 – Orla Murphy  How music and maths make an engineer

Orla Murphy is a chartered engineer, musician and passionate speaker about science, technology, engineering and maths. Her career at Jaguar Land Rover has gone from strength to strength since she joined them as a sponsored student in 2012. She has worked in a variety of roles which combine many of her passions.  She has an impressive track record of achievements and award winning accolades.

Orla is enthusiastic about encouraging more diversity in engineering and manufacturing. She aims to dispel the myths about engineering and manufacturing and entice more diverse talent into the sector, by showing how exciting careers in the sector can be.

 

15 July 2020 – Abbie Hutty  Space and the infinite possibilities in science and engineering

Abbie Hutty was inspired to pursue a career in science and engineering by the Beagle 2 Mars lander programme, and landed her dream job working on her very own Mars mission at just 25. Now one of the country’s most experienced specialists in Mars exploration, she is passionate about science communication and careers in engineering.

As a Spacecraft Structures Engineer on the ExoMars Rover Vehicle Team at Airbus Defence and Space, Abbie has exciting stories to tell about her day to day role. She is also keen to dispel misconceptions about in engineering and is a passionate ambassador for STEM careers.

 

 

 

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The series so far

Akala, our first speaker in the series, highlighted the power of education. During the second event, Simon Wheatcroft shared his experience of learning to run unaided using technology after loosing his sight. We also heard how Flow Adepoju created her own make-up brand from her parents’ shed which is now sold in major retailers after spotting a gap in the market.  Gadget Show presenter and technology journalist, Georgie Barrat  encouraged local school and college students to get the knowledge they need to get into an industry where there are more jobs than people with the right digital skills.