My Smarter Essex
My Smarter Essex is an initiative led by CSES in partnership with ARU and Essex County Council.
The mission is to engage citizens of all ages in the design of a smarter future Essex, and to promote careers and opportunities in STE(A)M, through a series of interactive conferences for students, families, industry partners and the public sector.
Connect Your Students with the Future of Gaming at Playable Worlds on 21 October 2026
As part of the upcoming Chelmsford Science Festival, we are thrilled to invite your school to participate in the Playable Worlds youth-led gaming fringe festival coming to Chelmsford this October.
We are officially booking school groups for our dedicated Schools' Day on Wednesday 21 October, and want to ensure your students have the opportunity to attend. This is open to years 9-11.
To sign your school up to this event, please complete the simple registration form at: https://forms.microsoft.com/e/r6HQT8wGBh.
Game on! Chelmsford event showcases careers in gaming
Following the successful pilot in October 2025, a special careers event at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in April 2026 showcases career opportunities in video gaming.
Schoolchildren from across Essex have come together to explore careers in the games industry at an event organised by CSES and hosted by ARU. The event aimed to encourage youngsters to explore the careers behind best-selling video games, from coding and sound design to writing, voiceover work and graphic design.
A short video of the event is available on the Essex County Council YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO0le1TWzjM.
Students uncover the world of game design
In October 2025, we hosted 110 students from seven schools at an event, designed with young people for young people, to showcase the career opportunities available within the game design industry.
Organised by CSES in collaboration with Anglia Ruskin University and Culture Chelmsford (including Spark! Youth Forum), and supported by Essex County Council, Game On! was a half-day industry spotlight event held as part of the Chelmsford Science Festival.
In workshops, presented by industry professionals and academics expert in the field, students created an audio clip to accompany an action scene, thought about the development of games from the very first idea through to marketing the finished product, had a go at creating their own simple games, heard about a day in the life of a professional games developer and learned about the educational routes and skill-sets needed for success in the field.
Discover gaming careers, meet industry experts and explore the skills needed to create best-selling video games!
Spark! Youth Forum, Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and Chelmsford Science and Engineering Society (CSES) are delighted to invite you to our Game On! Careers Event on Wednesday 15th October from 12:00-5:00pm (6:00pm including networking) at ARU, Chelmsford.
The event is aimed at students and youth group participants in school years 9-11 and has been co-designed with young people for young people.
Game On! will:
- Showcase the breadth of skills / vocations involved in computer game design (e.g. coding / software design to voiceover, writing, music, graphic art, story development…).
- Raise awareness of career paths and show students how to get involved.
- Give students careers advice and confidence in seeking out opportunities.
- Provide an opportunity to speak directly with employers and industry players.
- Give students the chance to learn about the latest developments and opportunities in gaming.
15 November 2023, Chelmsford Cathedral
We are delighted to announce the opportunity to attend an educational visit to Chelmsford Cathedral on Wednesday 15th November 2023. The event is organised by Drapers' Academy in collaboration with CSES and Chelmsford Cathedral, and will feature our My Smarter Essex interactive polling format.
On 11 July 2023, students from Harwich and Dovercourt High School took part in a Step into STEM Event as part of our My Smarter Essex series, and following the successful edition of this event at Clacton Coastal Academy in November 2022.
The event was launched by Chris Herron, the Assistant Head of the School, and focused on local further education, training and career opportunities arising from the growth of green and renewable energy industries.
A report from the event at Clacton Coastal Academy, 9 November 2022
Students from Clacton Coastal Academy took part in a "Step Into STEM" My Smarter Essex event as part of National Green Careers Week. The event was launched by Cllr Tony Ball, Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability, and focused on local career opportunities linked with renewable energy, sustainable materials and the skills students will need to develop to be successful in this sector.
The event, planned in conjunction with CSES, Essex County Council, NHS Integrated Care Board and the STEM Ambassador Hub, invited students to explore a variety of careers through practical, hands-on activities, including constructing their own solar and wind power sources, preparing fibre-optic wiring and exploring a working wind turbine through a VR headset.
Thursday 21 April, Passmores Academy, Harlow
Book for FREE now via Eventbrite
TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Yubo, are words that parents may or may not have heard of. As adults when we think about the internet we may think of funny cat videos, shopping online or sharing photos of our dinner on Facebook, but the digital world that our children are left to wander through alone every day can be very different indeed. Recent studies by OFSTED have shown that our young people can be exposed to shocking material online. Students in both primary and secondary schools said that they or someone they know had experienced online sexual abuse or harassment, with nearly 90% of female students saying that they had received unsolicited 'nudes'.
Do you really know what is going on in your child’s smartphone?
For all the parents and carers of young people in Harlow, have no fear: CSES, Passmores Academy and ECC are on the case and are here to help you get up to speed with how to protect your young person and help keep them safe in the digital world. We want to work together with you to help every young person in Harlow to navigate the internet safely by equipping parents and carers with the right knowledge and skills. We also want to showcase the amazing work of Essex-based companies in this area and reveal the breadth of career opportunities available to anyone who wants to build a better internet-enabled future.
Read more: My Smarter Essex: The Internet – What's really going on?
- The Internet: is it Still Good For Us?
- The Internet: is it Good For Us?
- My Smarter Essex: Braintree and Chelmsford
- My Smarter Essex follow-up questions
- IET says it's "time to involve the people"
- What is 'Cozfest' and where do I buy the t-shirt?
- Poll results from My Smarter Essex
- Photos from My Smarter Essex
- Lighting efficiency study
- My Smarter Essex