Outreach activities with young people

We want to help increase young people's knowledge and understanding of weather, climate, and interrelated subjects across the curriculum, building their skills and showcasing the different career pathways available across the Met Office, broader STEM sector and Civil Service. 

Through this work, we aim to inspire the next generation to study STEM subjects further and consider career opportunities that they may not have thought about, as well as enabling them to act with confidence during severe weather and in a changing climate.

Attracting a diverse and inclusive workforce, and enabling our employees to develop their professional skills, is of great importance to us. One area of the Met Office cannot function without the others, and there are lots of roles and development opportunities with us that young people may be interested in.

To help us achieve our goals, the Met Office participates in and coordinates a wide range of education outreach activities aimed at young people aged 3-18 years across the UK.

We work directly with schools and colleges to develop high quality activities and resources for young people and educators, and to measure impact. In addition, we partner and collaborate with organisations, such as Microsoft (with which we jointly developed the Minecraft Climate Futures Education Edition) and Esri UK & Ireland (exploring Met Office climate data).

We have an active group of almost 200 Education Outreach Ambassadors across the Met Office who deliver our Education Outreach programme. A large proportion of these are enrolled as STEM Ambassadors and/or Climate Ambassadors, as part of a national programme coordinated by STEM Learning. Many of these Education Outreach Ambassadors call the Met Office Exeter headquarters home, but around 100 are based in other areas of the UK and further afield.

What our Education Outreach Ambassadors do

Our Education Outreach Ambassadors deliver a range of outreach activities, for schools, colleges, and youth groups, outlined below.

What is weather? 5-11 years

Exploring the question ‘What is weather?’ and how the Met Office observes and records the weather using different equipment. In this session, children also have the opportunity to investigate clouds and how they form, getting the chance to make their own cloud in a bottle!

Rain or Shine weather forecasting: 5-11 years

What is a Meteorologist? How do they help us keep safe? In this session children learn why weather forecasts are important and which symbols we use in our forecasts. They also produce their own forecasts with the help of the Met Office.

Climate and Climate Change: 11-16 years

This session introduces the concept of climate and climate change, exploring the difference between weather and climate, how our climate system is undergoing change and how we can help.

Careers at the Met Office: 11-18 years

In this session we delve into what it’s like to work at the Met Office, what education and career pathways (including apprenticeships) are available and how different Met Office jobs link with each other to help people stay safe and thrive.

How to request a visit from one of our Education Outreach Ambassadors

If you'd like one of our Education Outreach Ambassadors to provide a session for your school, college or group, please use this request form and provide as much detail as possible.

Please be as flexible as possible with dates and give us at least eight-weeks’ notice prior to the session. We try to meet as many requests as we can, but due to the high level of demand, we do have to turn some down. The more notice that we are given, the greater the likelihood is that we will be able to fulfil your requirements.

To find the array of resources that we have available to schools, please check the following, Met Office Resources for Schools