Our school visits for the 2026 MakeME Cohort are officially underway! 🎉 We kicked things off on 19th October with AE Global at Thornhill College, where students enjoyed an informative session introducing GEMX, the MakeME Academy and their partnered company.
For many pupils, these visits are their first real glimpse into the world of engineering and manufacturing, and the careers it can lead to. Hearing directly from the people who work in the industry gives students a window into what’s possible, and helps them start to picture their own future pathways. 🌟
To the left, you can see the companies and adopted schools.
The schedule is as follows:
21st October – St Mary’s College & Niche Drinks
22nd October – Strabane Academy & Seagate
22nd October – Holy Cross College & Seagate
9th November – EOTAS & Nuprint
9th November – Carndonagh Community School & Welditz
10th November – Lisneal College & Fleming Agri
11th November – Royal and Prior School & FNW Group
11th November – Lumen Christi College & FAST Technologies
12th November – St Cecilia’s College & Arclin
16th November – St Columb’s College & The LYCRA Company
Once the school visits wrap up, the spotlight turns to our Meet the GEMs events. Here, students get the chance to chat one-to-one with our GEMs, hearing all about their roles and the journeys that brought them into the industry. These are conversations pupils wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to enjoy, and our hope is to spark curiosity and show them just how exciting a future in manufacturing and engineering can be. ✨
We’re so excited to see what this cohort will achieve, and this is just the beginning. 🚀
