Pupils from schools across Yorkshire have taken part in a Big Ideas Day, designed to inspire 11-14-year-olds in the North of England to generate solutions to sustainability issues.
Hosted by Solutions for the Planet, with its latest partner Northern Gas Networks (NGN), the Big Ideas Day forms part of a programme of in-school activity that promotes education for sustainable development, social enterprise and science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers, as well as enhancing personal development for each individual pupil.
St Bede’s and St Joseph’s Catholic College and Dixons Kings Academy in Bradford, Royds School and Bishop Young C of E Academy in Leeds, The Halifax Academy, Halifax and Outwood Academy Freeston in Wakefield have all taken part in the campaign. Ideas generated by the pupils will be entered into a regional competition, with the finalists going forward to compete at a national level alongside schools from across the UK, presenting their ideas to a panel of judges at the Palace of Westminster.
Students and teachers taking part in the campaign are supported by a team of mentors from partners; Northern Gas Networks, Tarmac, The Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM), SGN, Mears Group and Kongsberg Automotive.
Northern Gas Networks employees receive two paid volunteering days every year which they can use to support local causes, charitable and community initiatives. Nine employees from Northern Gas Networks have signed up to use their volunteering days to support the programme as mentors.
Melanie Taylor, Head of Stakeholder Relations at Northern Gas Networks, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Solutions for the Planet on its Big Ideas programme, teaching young people the vital skills needed to succeed in future employment within the energy sector. Here at NGN, we are extremely passionate about tackling the UK skills gap in STEM and sustainability, and we are committed to helping develop the confidence and creativity of individuals in these areas.
“Employing and developing talent is vital for a strong economy and to ensure that a business is equipped with the skills it needs for the future. Initiatives such as the Big Ideas programme help to raise young people’s career and work aspirations through experiencing real-world business challenges and develop their employability skills. In turn businesses can build a powerful workforce by creating a pipeline of future talent and positioning themselves as an employer of choice in their communities.”
Jen Baughan, CEO at Solutions for the Planet, added: “We are delighted to welcome NGN as a partner in our North England region. It was clear from our conversations with NGN that the voice of young people is very important in their business, particularly, but not exclusively, with regards to the future energy mix and sustainability. We look forward to working with the NGN team and are confident that they will both bring a lot of knowledge and take a lot of inspiration and new skills away from their involvement.”
The North England Big Ideas programme is now underway and will conclude with regional finals in May, before the National Final in June.
For more information about Northern Gas Networks please visit northerngasnetworks.co.uk
For more information contact S4TP Comms Lead Sarah Milburn sarah@solutionsfortheplanet.co.uk or call +44 (0)7393 863689
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