What an amazing, motivating, and incredibly fun day our Year 9 students had yesterday! A select group of students who have chosen GCSE Computer Science as an option took a giant leap into the future by attending the prestigious TeenTech Festival, hosted at the University of Lancashire.

The immersive event was designed to bring the world of science, technology, and engineering to life, giving our students a direct look at the incredible variety of career paths available to them.

Three Zones of Innovation

Our students spent the day navigating three fast-paced, hands-on zones, working directly alongside industry experts:

  • The Innovation Zone: The day kicked off with an explosion of creativity. Our students collaborated in teams to invent a brand-new technological solution to a real-world problem. They then had to stand up and confidently pitch their concept live to the other attending schools.
  • The Insight Zone: Next up was a rapid-fire series of employer-led workshops. GCA students interacted with cutting-edge tech and professionals from the Cyber Crime Unit, Leyland Trucks, AWS (Amazon Web Services), Roche Diagnostics, and medical/dentistry teams, opening their eyes to the massive range of industries looking for tech-savvy minds.
  • The Challenge Zone: To finish the day, students partnered with global giants like Westinghouse and the National Cyber Force, diving headfirst into industry-related problem-solving. It was the perfect stage for them to see how the vital analytical skills they will be developing over the next two years in their GCSE studies apply to massive global career fields.

Every single one of our pupils was an absolute credit to Garstang Community Academy, showing immense creativity, teamwork, and enthusiasm from start to finish.

Hear from the Team

Paula Askew, Careers Adviser:

"Days like TeenTech are invaluable for helping students see the massive range of career opportunities available to them. Seeing our students interact so confidently with global companies like AWS and the Cyber Crime Unit shows just how many doors a background in technology can open. They absolutely threw themselves into every challenge."

Annette Ashworth, GCSE Computer Science Teacher:

"It was fantastic to see the students applying their classroom knowledge to real-world industrial problems. The event really highlighted the diversity of jobs out there and why Computer Science is such a vital, dynamic subject. The teamwork displayed during the Innovation Zone pitches was outstanding, we definitely have some future tech entrepreneurs in this cohort!"

Year 9 students:

"The whole day was brilliant, but my favourite part was the Challenge Zone with the National Cyber Force. It felt like real hacking and problem-solving. It made me realise just how many different jobs you can do with computers, and it made me even more excited to start the GCSE course in September!"