More than 100 girls recently attended the latest ‘STEMFest’ event.

Aimed at girls between the age of seven and 14, the initiative looked to host a range of activities aimed to inspire interest in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

In partnership with RBS International (which owns Isle of Man Bank), the event invited girls to investigate a staged crime scene using fingerprint analysis, explore immersive technology with virtual reality headsets and learn how to code.

A spokesperson from RBS International said: ‘Involving girls in STEM helps to build confidence, interest and motivation in the area which the RBS team hopes will increase the number of those who go on to study related subjects in higher education and boost gender equality in STEM jobs.

‘The various projects allowed the girls to work with experts in their fields, teaching them new skills including problem-solving, information gathering and how to approach problems from different perspectives.’

Local professionals representing various aspects of the STEM sector volunteered at the event, including Sergeant Suzanne Clark from the Isle of Man Constabulary, Deanna Boyd from Suntera Global, Adam Drummond from the Isle of Man Code Club and Dr Sarah Hoile from University College Isle of Man.

Stuart Chivers, the head of local banking at RBS International, said: ‘Women continue to be underrepresented in the STEM sector and changing this needs to start right at the beginning of a girl’s education.

‘My colleagues are passionate about ensuring we have diverse thinking and by investing in events like this we’re able to build interest and showcase local role models for the girls to look up to as they continue their schooling and eventually enter the workforce.’

Su Simpson, the Isle of Man girlguiding commissioner, said: ‘The event aimed to inspire the next generation of female scientists and engineers and it certainly went above and beyond our expectations.

‘Thanks to our amazing guest speakers we had girls saying they wanted to be astronauts, police, teachers and scientists.’