Why there is a full STEAM priority for young people developing skills in the west of Ireland

Gouri Hiremath explores the importance of early STEAM education and why building skills don’t have to be complicated.

The educational path, when planning a future career, can come with many turns. Often young people have either finished school or taken a year to think about their options before starting a course or company.

This can have its benefits as you may find that you are now more emotionally ready or mature enough for the next phase of your life. But for some, it can be a straight road, where they know from an early age how their professional life will begin.

With that in mind, for Gouri Hiremath, senior software engineer and STEAM Studio ambassador at Liberty IT, it is important that students and young people are exposed early to good, job-creating opportunities, so that they have the knowledge to make the most of their education.

Originally established at the Ulster Museum in Belfast, Liberty IT has expanded the STEAM Studio in partnership with Galway City Museum, a facility that now operates as a dedicated space. west of Ireland hub.

Dedicated to high school students, STEAM Studio is a collaborative workshop designed to connect coding and technology with the museum experience, encouraging young people to explore and develop their technical skills and empowering them to consider a career in the industry.

Hiremath explained: “As part of the free programme, which includes transport back to schools from the workshop, Junior Cycle students are trained in coding which allows them to design and build their own arcade game, all inspired by Galway’s maritime heritage and supported by Liberty IT volunteers who are our STEAM Studio ambassadors.

“The Galway program is structured as an ongoing series of workshops throughout the school year, rather than a one-off event,” he added. “It was created for students aged 13 to 15, at that time when they are starting to think about higher education and future paths.”

Go west

For Liberty IT, the STEAM Studio is a practical way for the organization to invest in the communities where its employees live and work, helping to promote “the next generation of technical talent in the region” – which Hiremath noted is as important as young people. living in the west they often have little access to industry-led STEAM programs.

He explained: “Many of our STEAM Studio Ambassadors are from Galway and the surrounding area and are very keen to show students that you can build a career in technology here, in your city, without having to travel.

“Partnering with Galway City Museum to expand the STEAM Studio has given us a unique setting to bring together local heritage, art and technology. Coding a game inspired by maritime history feels very different when you do it in a museum that tells that very story.”

The program is designed to build a mix of technical and transferable skills, where young people can explore coding while also developing creativity through simple game design. They learn how software works behind the digital world, and create their own characters and stories.

“We want them to leave thinking, ‘I did this, what else can I build?’,” said Hiremath.

And it’s not just about developing coding skills, Hiremath noted how programs like the STEAM Studio program build career skills. Explaining, students work together in groups, share their ideas, build confidence and resilience as they talk about their challenges and challenges. He said they saw firsthand that “making mistakes is normal and can be corrected”.

Don’t lose steam

To fully engage with learning in the STEAM space, Hiremath finds that consistency is key. With that in mind, the program made a deliberate decision to use an approved coding platform that was already familiar to teachers, so that STEAM Studio visits could be easily connected back to everyday learning in the classroom. It also offers important safety measures that don’t limit a child’s energy or curiosity.

“The vetted platform also builds trust in schools and parents by ensuring strong standards around privacy, security and age-appropriate content,” she said. “Because the tools are available in schools, students can continue to experiment after the workshop, allowing STEAM Studio to act as a catalyst instead of a self-study.”

Ultimately, for Hiremath, positive experiences at a young age can influence how young people view their future careers.

“When a 13-year-old kid builds his first game with a STEAM Studio ambassador by his side, technology stops being an intangible,” he explained. “It becomes something they can do and that change in identity has a lot of power when they choose courses and work later.”

He said this direct connection to technology and people living in roles they might want to step into, can empower students to ask the right questions, making what is often considered a complex field more relatable and accessible.

“Having STEAM Studio ambassadors from different backgrounds, career paths and regions helps challenge the idea that technology is only for a certain ‘type’ of person,” he added. “They can see a person from Galway, working in technology in Galway, giving back to the city.

“Our long-term ambition is that some of the students who come through STEAM Studio will go on to become the tech talent of the future.”

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