On Thursday 5th February, major infrastructure project NeuConnect, connected to the UK at the Isle of Grain, hosted a careers event at The Thomas Aveling School in Rochester, giving young women the chance to explore future opportunities in STEM fields. The NeuConnect event, organised in collaboration with Inspiring Girls International and supported by partners Prysmian and Artelia, marked the first in a two‑part international initiative, with a parallel event which took place in March.

NeuConnect is an interconnector project creating the first direct power link between Germany and Great Britain, connecting two of Europe’s largest energy markets for the first time.

More than 45 students took part in the workshop, which was opened with a speech from local Member of Parliament Lauren Edwards, followed by a lively panel discussion featuring female role models from across NeuConnect, Prysmian and Artelia. The session was followed by a fast-paced speed‑mentoring activity, enabling smaller groups of students to ask questions about career paths, day‑to‑day responsibilities, and the realities of working in engineering, infrastructure and energy.

The day concluded with an interactive workshop, where students worked in groups to build their own mini-interconnector models, bringing to life the concepts behind the NeuConnect project.

Over the past year, NeuConnect, Prysmian and Artelia have been working closely with the Inspiring Girls UK team to create a workshop that would help girls better understand the breadth of careers available in STEM, how to navigate a path into the industry, and what skills and confidence can help them get started.

Planning took place in coordination with the Inspiring Girls Germany team, ensuring that the UK and German events were aligned to celebrate the international partnership underpinning the NeuConnect project.

Lauren Edwards MP comments “Many thanks to the Grain‑based energy project NeuConnect for inviting me to speak at their STEM careers event at The Thomas Aveling School, held in partnership with the Inspiring Girls charity. Ensuring that women and girls are able to achieve their potential in science, technology, engineering and maths careers is crucial, and it was great to see so many girls from Thomas Aveling excelling in these subjects and  taking part in the event.”

Inspiring Girls International is a global charity dedicated to raising the aspirations of girls by connecting them with female role models. Active in 40 countries, we challenge gender stereotypes and broaden girls’ horizons by introducing them to diverse careers, empowering them to make confident, informed choices about their futures. Through school talks, speed networking events, and digital campaigns, we provide relatable, real-world inspiration to thousands of girls across the world. Our mission is simple: if girls can see it, they can be it. To learn more, visit www.inspiring-girls.com