Community
For a group of pupils from St Michael’s College, Enniskillen, their STEAM Studio session at the Ulster Museum in Belfast came with a familiar connection. Two of the Liberty IT ambassadors helping them design and code their own arcade games had once been pupils at their school.
It was a proud moment for Associate Software Engineers, Conor and Andrew, who volunteer as STEAM Studio ambassadors. Throughout the hands-on coding workshop, they shared their journeys from St Michael’s into tech, helping a new group of teenagers explore creativity, technology and problem-solving, and showing them that a career in tech can begin in the very classrooms they sit in today.
The day followed the familiar STEAM Studio rhythm. Pupils began by exploring the Ulster Museum’s collections and picking out the pieces that sparked an idea, before turning that inspiration into arcade games they designed and coded themselves. Conor and Andrew were on hand throughout, answering questions, suggesting ideas and helping with a little debugging whenever a game didn’t quite behave as planned.
Alongside the coding, the session gave pupils the chance to hear how two people from their own school found their way into tech.
For Conor and Andrew, the session was an opportunity to return to their old school and share their own journeys into tech. Having both gone from St Michael’s to careers at Liberty IT, they were able to give pupils a real insight into the opportunities available and what a future in tech could look like for them.
STEAM Studio is Liberty IT’s STEAM education programme, delivered in partnership with National Museums NI at the Ulster Museum since 2024 and now also at Galway City Museum. Pupils aged 13 to 15 take inspiration from the museum’s collections to design and code their own arcade game. The coding workshops are free for schools, Liberty IT covers transport costs, and our people volunteer as ambassadors, sharing their skills and career stories along the way.
Since launch, STEAM Studio has welcomed more than 2,500 pupils, and we’re looking forward to continuing the programme into 2027.
Moments like this are what STEAM Studio is for: giving young people a hands-on way into technology and the chance to meet people who started exactly where they are. Hearing from two former pupils of their own school helps make a future in tech feel real and within reach.
A big thank you to the pupils and teachers of St Michael’s College, and to every school that has joined us so far. If you’re a teacher in Northern Ireland or the West of Ireland looking for a creative STEM learning experience and a free school trip with a difference, find out more and book a STEAM Studio session in Belfast or Galway.
Our people use their time, skills and experience to support local communities and help more people see what a future in technology could look like. From STEM outreach to volunteering, community is part of how Liberty IT gives back.
