Young people from across the region and beyond have learnt about opportunities in Suffolk’s burgeoning technology sector.

East Anglian Daily Times: Hundreds of school and university students turned up for a special science and technology Careers Fair at BT's Adastral Park, Martlesham where information about graduate jobs and apprenticeships was on offer Picture: AARON LAMBHundreds of school and university students turned up for a special science and technology Careers Fair at BT's Adastral Park, Martlesham where information about graduate jobs and apprenticeships was on offer Picture: AARON LAMB (Image: Aaron Lamb)

The technology careers fair at BT’s Adastral Park was designed to promote opportunities for graduates and for school leavers.

The event was intended to remove the mystery of the Adastral Park campus and Innovation Martlesham while highlighting routes into technology and software training and careers.

More than 1,000 young people are believed to have attended. The day was divided into three sessions which included a chance for the teenagers to meet a range of employers, graduate trainees and apprentices, tour the control centre and explore other parts of the campus.

Organiser Lisa Ford said: “We have so much going on here, not just BT. Innovation Martlesham now has 124 companies and their numbers are growing. We have seven employers taking part in this.

East Anglian Daily Times: Graduate trainees and apprentices were on hand to explain to visitors how their careers had taken them to Innovation Martlesham, Bilal Pandor, Rhiannon Wardrop, Evandro Moro, Euan Parfitt and Jake Eason Picture: DAVID VINCENTGraduate trainees and apprentices were on hand to explain to visitors how their careers had taken them to Innovation Martlesham, Bilal Pandor, Rhiannon Wardrop, Evandro Moro, Euan Parfitt and Jake Eason Picture: DAVID VINCENT (Image: Archant)

“It is about promoting jobs in technology. We are delighted with how it is going.

“We have university students from across the country and a big local response.”

Mark Thomas, technical chief executive of software firm Coderus, said Adastral Park was a great place for a young tech business to develop.

He began his software company from his bedroom and now Coderus is 24-strong and growing.

“We hope to recruit five more over the next six weeks,” he added. “There are a lot of great things happening here. We are growing and there is a great eco-system here, and an atmosphere for working with like-minded businesses.”

Lisa Perkins, a director at Adastral Park, said: “We want to bring to life what it really is like to work here.

“We have created something so amazing. We have 120 plus companies and we bring in schools from time-to-time to get inspired by technology.

“We have grown from 94 companies to 124 here in about six months.

“Those companies are growing. The future is really bright.”

“We want our children to be inspired if this is to be our future.”

She added that the park was a great resource for the young people of Ipswich and Suffolk to get into science and technology careers.