BAE Systems at Glascoed opened its doors last week to local teenagers to give them a glimpse of working life at the company.

The annual ‘Take Your Sons and Daughters to Work Day’, offered young people aged 14 to 16 the opportunity to find out more about their parents’ working day whether it be in an office or engineering or test department or in a manufacturing environment.

At Glascoed, children were given a site tour and had the opportunity to shadow their parents as they went about their day’s work.

For many of the young people taking part, this was their first time in a workplace and the day was designed to inform them about the possibility of careers in science, technology and engineering as well as the importance of manufacturing.

They were also able to find out more about the heritage of the site itself, which was opened in 1940 to supply Britain’s forces in the Second World War.

Richard Hamer, Director of Early Careers at BAE Systems, said, “BAE Systems is a company with great ambitions and a big part of that is ensuring we build a strong pipeline of future talent to continue the work we do.

“Engaging young people early around STEM subjects and future careers is a vital part of that process, and the opportunities at Glascoed to see where and how mum and dad work is a brilliant way to help young people understand and be excited about our business.”

BAE Systems invests around £80 million each year in liaison with schools and employee development. It runs a number of initiatives each year to highlight the importance of STEM subjects to young people. This includes the Company’s annual Schools Roadshow in association with the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force – which in 2016 will visit over 420 schools and STEM events in the UK, engaging more than 90,000 young people with an inspiring, interactive STEM presentation.