We know Term 3 is already hectic in schools, but an annual event that could be worth jumping on board with is National Science Week. If you’ve missed the updates, it runs from 15 to 23 August in 2026, which doesn’t leave much time if you haven’t got any planned yet for your careers program, but we have a couple of simple ideas that could work for you. This year’s theme is “Seeds of Science: Nurturing Knowledge for All” which is kind of perfect for sharing showcasing all the careers that science, technology, engineering and maths actually lead once school finishes. You don’t need a big budget or weeks of planning, a few small, well-placed activities (or conversations) could do a lot of the work for you.
Utilise your wall space
If your careers office has a noticeboard or display space, swapping out what’s already there with some free posters highlighting science and tech pathways, is a simple and effective start.
Students often stop to read something when there’s a question attached, rather than just a poster on its own, so you could add a couple of conversation starters, for example:
“Which of these careers surprises you?”
“If you had to pick a STEM path today, would you choose the one with the highest starting salary or the one that solves a major world problem?”
“What non-science skill do you think helps the most in a STEM career?”
“Which of these jobs do you think will be the most critical for humanity 20 years from now?
Or perhaps you could use the space as a Driving Question Board with a prompt like “How do STEM professionals solve problems that change our daily lives?” or “What do you know about STEM careers?”. Leave some post-it notes and pens nearby for students to share their own questions. Then down the track you could put up the answers alongside the questions, or host a Q&A style session to have some great conversations sparked by your students own curiosity.
Low-cost ideas that still make an impact
No budget? Not a problem, you can still spark interest without spending a cent.
Try a “STEM career of the day” shout-out during morning announcements or form time. Each day of the week, name one cool or futuristic science or tech career, share one everyday product or quirky fact connected to it, and connect it to one subject or skill that students study/build as a pathway. No materials are needed and not much time beyond a bit of research.
Another option is a guess-the-scientist board. Post a photo or a set of clues about a lesser-known scientist or engineer each day, and let students guess who it is before revealing the answer along with their career path. This could work well for introducing inspiring STEM professionals, including those from diverse or under-represented backgrounds in STEM.
If you have enough time to organise a guest, invite a scientist, engineer, or tech worker to speak to your students (even via video call) for fifteen minutes. Many professionals are happy to do this for free, especially during a nationally recognised events like this one. Even a short conversation from a real person describing what their job is actually like day to day, could encourage students to think about different careers and pathways.
Make the most of the free resources out there
You don’t have to create anything yourself. If your brain capacity is already at 100%, there are thousands (no exaggeration) of free STEM career resources readily available online, from government science bodies to universities and museums, and National Science Week is a great time to see what’s out there, or point your students towards them to find their own interest area.
You might not even have to go any further than the National Science Week website, it lists events, a couple of activities, and a free teacher resource book. Many universities and research organisations also publish free STEM career guides and case studies you can print or share on screen, so it’s worth doing a quick search for “free STEM careers resources” alongside your usual subject associations or professional bodies.
Set students a short task using whatever you find. For example, ask them to spend ten minutes browsing one resource and find a STEM career they hadn’t heard of before, then share it with the class in one sentence. This keeps the activity quick and fun while still getting them delving into the world of STEM careers.
You could run a short research session where students search online for science or tech-related roles that interest them, using two or three trusted sites you’ve checked in advance. Ask them to pick out three roles and note down one thing that surprised them about each. It’s another way for students to actively engage, and could give you a lead-in for any one-on-one conversations afterwards about their interests and options.
Here are a couple of resources you could start with:
- Careers With STEM
- STEMpower
- STEM Career Wheel
- STEM Careers Coalition
- Science Buddies
- I am a Scientist
- The Vaccine Makers Project STEM Careers Booklet
- SWG Job Spotlights
For a slightly bigger activity, if you have a spare lesson or assembly slot, split the students into small groups and assign each one a free resource to explore, then ask them to present one STEM pathway back to everyone else at the end. This spreads the workload across students rather than resting entirely on you, and means far more careers get covered than you could manage alone.
Keep the conversation going after the week ends
National Science Week runs for nine days, but if your students are lapping it up, STEM careers exploration doesn’t have to stop there. Use the momentum to start conversations with students about subject choices, work experience, or further study in STEM fields, and keep your wall displays and posters up for a few extra weeks so the message has time to sink in.
If you’re looking for more ready-made career guides and pathway resources to support these conversations, take a look at the resources available at Study Work Grow.
