Written by Claire McBride, Account Executive at Fujitsu Northern Ireland, reflects on the company’s recent Irish News ‘Young News Readers Critical Literacy Media Project’ sponsorship with Translink, EY, and St Mary’s University College and shares her thoughts as pupils go back to school.
Earlier this year schools from across Northern Ireland participated in the Irish News Young News Readers Project for pupils in Key Stage 2 and 3. The project offered a great opportunity for young people to develop their literacy skills, enhance their creativity and encourage critical thinking. For Fujitsu, the sponsorship collaboration got our whole business talking and highlighted the importance of being curious about what is happening in the world around us.
In week 1 we interviewed one of the most experienced leaders in our business, Mary Scullion. I particularly liked what Mary had to say about learning: ‘Technology is always evolving – learning doesn’t finish at school. I learn something new each day’. Mary also recommended that ‘students keep being curious about technology’. By being curious you’ll develop skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, and communication that will be of use to you throughout your life. Even if it doesn’t feel like that right now – trust me, it’s true.
Our editorial piece for the ‘Fitness, Nutrition and Body Positivity’ edition allowed Amanda Hammond to share how little changes like a step challenge can make a big, positive impact on our daily lives and inspire those around us to get involved. Kirsty Jackson, our Diversity and Inclusion Lead, reminded us that it’s important to recognise that everyone is different in their own unique way, and that we should treat others with respect. I’ve paraphrased her article into a short mantra: Be curious, Be kind, Be inclusive, Be confident – most of all, Be you.
The results from our quantum inspired computing projects offered an exciting lens into the future. Our transformational space debris project in collaboration with Amazon Web Services, Astroscale UK, and the University of Glasgow gave students a glimpse into the skills needed to develop the algorithms to support the removal of over 900,000 pieces of space debris larger than 1cm. The same pioneering new technology was used for a drug discovery programme. The team analysed 3.74 billion molecules to help find a treatment for cancer. In 25 days, they were able to identify 30 possible molecule options that previously could have taken months with other leading-edge technologies.
Our ‘Classroom of the Future’ competition provided pupils with an opportunity to let their imagination run wild and share with us their vision of what learning will look like in the future. Competition entries included several core themes from robots replacing teachers to using VR to experience moments in history, like standing on the edge of an erupting volcano or climbing through the narrow passages inside a pyramid. I know the winning class is planning to use the £1,000 prize money to invest in some exciting educational technology. Personally, I can’t wait to see what the future brings for all the fantastic pupils involved!
Nurturing the talents of our young people today is essential for our collective success in the future.As a human-centric digital transformation organisation we work with our customers to co-create solutions to meet their needs and those of our customers’ customers. Our graduate and apprenticeship programmes value individuals with the right attitude and aptitude, allowing them to develop the skills needed in their areas of interest. Our life experiences are as unique as our fingerprint, and they naturally bring a diversity of perspective to our teams.
#EmpoweringEducationalExcellence
