STEM Workshops in Glasgow

Glasgow's engineering heritage is rooted in the Industrial Revolution, when the city became one of the world's great centres of shipbuilding, locomotive manufacturing and heavy industry. The Clyde shipyards built some of the most famous vessels in maritime history, including the RMS Queen Mary and the QE2, earning Glasgow the title "Second City of the Empire." James Watt developed his improvements to the steam engine whilst working as an instrument maker at the University of Glasgow. The city's engineering prowess extended to bridge building, civil engineering and the development of railway infrastructure that connected Scotland to the wider world.

James Watt's work on the steam engine at the University of Glasgow in the 1760s is one of the most significant contributions to engineering in history. Lord Kelvin, who spent over fifty years as a professor at the university, made foundational contributions to thermodynamics and helped lay the first transatlantic telegraph cable. John Logie Baird, born in nearby Helensburgh, demonstrated the first working television system in 1926. Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who studied physics at the University of Glasgow before discovering pulsars at the University of Cambridge, made a discovery that created the entire field of pulsar astronomy. June Almeida, born in Glasgow in 1930 and trained at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, discovered the first human coronavirus in 1966 using an innovative electron microscopy technique she had perfected, a breakthrough whose significance was underscored when researchers used her methods to identify the COVID-19 virus decades later. More recently, the University of Strathclyde has been instrumental in advancing Scotland's renewable energy research and industrial strategy.

Glasgow has successfully reinvented itself as a hub for renewable energy, financial technology and space science. The city is home to a growing cluster of companies working on offshore wind, tidal energy and hydrogen technology. Glasgow's fintech sector has expanded rapidly, with companies choosing the city as a base for development operations. The University of Glasgow and the University of Strathclyde drive significant research output, particularly in engineering, precision medicine and quantum technology, whilst the city hosted COP26 in 2021, reinforcing its commitment to sustainability and climate science.

Glasgow offers diverse STEM career pathways across energy, digital technology, advanced manufacturing and life sciences. BAE Systems operates major naval shipbuilding facilities on the Clyde, providing apprenticeships in engineering and defence technology. The renewable energy sector offers roles in offshore wind development, energy systems engineering and environmental science through firms such as ScottishPower and SSE. Glasgow's growing software and data analytics sector includes employers like JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Skyscanner, all of which run graduate and apprenticeship programmes.