Career sponsorship events

School events

• UK Maths Trust

The UK Mathematics Trust (UKMT) is a registered charity whose aim is to advance the education of children and young people in mathematics. The UKMT was established in 1996 and last academic year over 600,000 pupils from 4000 schools took part in the three individual challenges, the UK's biggest national maths competitions. Each challenge leads into a follow-on Olympiad round after which a team of six represent the UK in the International Mathematical Olympiad. The IFoA sponsor the three intial competitions - Junior, Intermediate and Senior age categories.

You can find the most recent Junior Maths Challenge questions here. Please contact Jenni Hughes if you would like the solutions!

• Enterprising Mathematics in Scotland

The IFoA has sponsored this competition, which is organised under the aegis of the Scottish Maths Council, for the last few years. Typically some 300 schools and colleges participate in regional rounds, nationwide. 60 schools and colleges throughout Scotland – around 250 children aged between 14 and 16 years, take part in the final. Each team comprises one teacher and four pupils. The competition is made up of rounds of eliminating heats, team rounds and relay. There is an actuarial round which first featured two years ago and was well received. There was also an electronic link-up with schools in the Western Isles, Shetland and Orkney. This is only possible through the sponsorship the IFoA provides.

The winners this year were

1st prize - George Heriot’s

2nd prize - Dollar Academy

3rd prize - Largs Academy

• Highland Senior Mathematics Weekend

Lagganlia Centre for Outdoor Learning, Kingussie, 15-17 March

View a selection of photographs from the weekend here

The above event has been running for 14 years and has proven to be hugely popular with senior students studying advanced mathematics in their sixth year of high school. 

The key aims of the weekend are:

• To further foster and develop an enjoyment of mathematics through the application of advanced mathematics to real problems.
• To make students aware of the importance of mathematics, science and technology in business and industry, as well as the careers and opportunities available to them.
• To promote an ethos of both individual determination and commitment to a shared goal through a series of indoor and outdoor activities.  

The event was a huge success, Suzanne Vaughan, a member of Scottish Board went to the event on behalf of the profession. Her account of the event is here.

University events

• TANC - 'A survival guide to being an actuarial student"

CASS Business School, 21 February

The Actuarial Network at Cass (TANC) in association with the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries organised an event “A Survival Guide to Being an Actuarial Student” at Cass Business School on 21 February 2013. The event was aimed mainly at aspiring actuaries in their final year of university and working actuarial students.

The event was an innovative panel discussion with two separate panels - the “recently qualified” panel, consisting of recently qualified actuaries, and the ‘employers’ panel, consisting of senior actuaries with many years of experience. Both panels had actuaries representing each of the actuarial practice areas. This highly interactive discussion saw a lot of questions being asked and many interesting ideas and suggestions discussed by the panel and audience.

An article has been written on the event, you can read that here.