This guest post from science educator Veronica Forcina looks at how IP professionals, through our outreach arm Careers in Ideas, can help inspire more young people into IP careers.
Veronica is a PhD chemist and educator who loves turning complex ideas into stories people want to listen to. She has spent years transforming dense chemistry into clear, compelling insight and is passionate about making innovation understandable for everyone. Here she draws on those experiences to explain what activities and resources students are most likely to engage with, and the role IP professionals can play in turning that engagement into great career opportunities.
This article is based on a longer piece written by Veronica for the Careers in Ideas news page. You can read that here.
Veronica writes:
Young people encounter intellectual property constantly, yet almost none of them realise it. They use patented technologies in their phones, rely on copyrighted digital content while watching YouTube, and encounter trade marks every time they get dressed. Despite this daily exposure, the idea that IP represents a rich, varied and intellectually demanding professional landscape is almost entirely invisible to them.
Careers in Ideas exists to change that. However, to reach more young people, especially those from under-represented backgrounds, we need the support, insight and involvement of the IP community. This article aims to explore what Careers in Ideas already provides, the areas where further development would be valuable, and how IP professionals can help us expand our reach and impact.
How Careers in Ideas is already opening doors
Careers in Ideas has built a strong foundation of resources and initiatives designed to make IP careers more visible and accessible. One of the most significant contributions is the comprehensive resource hub available on our website. These materials include slide decks, lesson plans, quizzes, case studies and videos that help teachers, parents and careers advisors introduce IP concepts with confidence. Our Resources Directory also brings together curriculum‑aligned materials from IPO websites, ensuring that educators have access to age‑appropriate and subject‑relevant content.
Representation is another area where Careers in Ideas has made meaningful progress. Students need to see real people working in IP: people with different backgrounds, accents, educational routes and life experiences. Our website showcases a diverse range of professionals through its IP Career Options and People in IP pages and “Meet the IP Crowd” resources. These stories help students imagine themselves in IP roles and understand that there is no single pathway into the profession. The Summer of IP programme further strengthens this representation by bringing together speakers and panellists from across the UK, offering young people the chance to meet IP professionals face‑to‑face or online. Many of these events are recorded, making them accessible to students and teachers who cannot attend live.
We promote our website, resources and events as widely as possible via social media and via our contacts, such as the IPO who kindly promote some of our events and resources in their IP in Education mailshot. We also engage with a number of outreach organisations and charities, many of whom work with young people from under-represented groups to help them achieve their potential. All of this work is powered by our volunteer Task Force, a group of IP professionals who generously donate their time to develop resources, support events, and contribute to outreach projects.
Where Careers in Ideas could go next
Although Careers in Ideas has built a strong foundation, there is significant potential to expand our impact.
One area for development is hands‑on engagement. Students respond strongly to interactive experiences that allow them to think like patent attorneys, trade mark attorneys or IP analysts. Activities such as patent drafting challenges, mock hearings, and case studies drawn from gaming, fashion, sustainability or biotechnology can transform abstract concepts into real-world intellectual puzzles. These experiences show students that IP careers are dynamic, creative and intellectually rich. To scale this kind of engagement, we need more structured activity packs and more professionals willing to deliver sessions in schools.
Clearer pathways information is another priority. Our current “Pathways to IP Careers” chart is popular, but we aim to produce an updated and more detailed version. Students and teachers need accessible explanations of entry routes, including apprenticeships, graduate pathways, and alternative routes for those who do not wish to attend university. Careers in Ideas has a chart providing a quick visual summary of different IP-related careers and their typical routes of entry (available in pdf and PowerPoint formats). We are looking to provide an updated version which will be available on our website.
Finally, there is significant potential to deepen partnerships with schools. Careers in Ideas cannot directly engage every school, but IP professionals can. Many schools, particularly those in disadvantaged communities, lack access to professional networks. Targeted outreach to schools with low university progression rates, long‑term partnerships with local firms, and virtual sessions for schools unable to host visitors would help ensure that students who most need access to information receive it.
The Task Force lighting the way forward
Careers in Ideas has always been powered by the generosity, creativity and commitment of IP professionals. Everything we have built so far, from our Resources Directory to our Summer of IP events and our Mentoring Hub, exists because people across the profession chose to give their time and expertise. Our Task Force is the backbone of this work, quietly shaping national outreach, developing materials, supporting events and ensuring that young people see a profession that is open, diverse and full of possibility.
Demand is growing, and there is so much more we could achieve with a wider group of volunteers. We are looking for IP professionals who want to help us take the next step: developing curriculum‑ready lesson inserts and case studies, refreshing our pathways guide with clearer entry routes and real‑world examples, expanding our Summer of IP panels and coffee chats, strengthening our Mentoring Hub, and designing outreach kits that make school visits easier for first‑time volunteers. These projects are practical, impactful and deeply rewarding and they directly shape how young people first encounter the world of IP.
If you have experience in education, communication, recruitment, training or mentoring, or simply a passion for widening access, we would love to welcome you into the Careers in Ideas community. Joining our Task Force means becoming part of a collaborative group of professionals who care about opening doors for the next generation. It is flexible, meaningful work that fits around your schedule and allows you to contribute in ways that match your strengths. Please consider joining us!
To get in touch with the Careers in Ideas Task Force, please email [email protected].