Some of Northern Gas Networks’ fantastic colleagues have been busy mentoring young people at local schools as part of an exciting competition which connects young people with local businesses to help develop their skills in STEM and sustainability.

Northern Gas Networks has a long-running partnership with the social enterprise Solutions for the Planet, and supports the organisation’s Big Ideas Programme.

Students come up with ideas to solve a sustainability issue that matters to them, then work with their mentors to turn their idea into a business plan. These plans are submitted and come up against plans from students in other schools. A panel of judges review the entries and shortlist Regional Finalists, with the winning teams progressing to the National Finals at the Palace of Westminster.

Colleagues volunteer with schools – which are often located in areas of disadvantage – and use their expertise to guide young people through the competition, developing their skills and confidence and broadening their outlook too.

A great example of this is Andy Simcoe, Technical Manager for Services Beyond the Meter, Northern Gas Networks’ programme which offers customers in vulnerable situations a way to keep themselves safe, warm and connected. So far he’s mentored teams at Leeds East Academy (which is just a few miles from Northern Gas Networks’ head office), Outwood Academy Freeston in Wakefield and was also a judge in last year’s Regional Finals.

He said: “Everyone should have a go at mentoring if they can, it’s a privilege to be involved.

“I struggle with having confidence when communicating sometimes, especially in front of lots of people, and when you go into a school you can be up in front of hundreds of people, especially on the judging day.

“I saw these young people aged 11-13 presenting their ideas in front of hundreds of people, and smashed it, and it made me think if they could speak in front of all these people, I could too.

“I wasn’t academic at school, and not all of the young people are particularly academic, but they have some great ideas.

“As a mentor, my role is to guide them and help them think independently. One of the things I help them think about is the cost – so they’ll have a great idea, and I’ll ask them how they will fund it. They then go away, have a think and come up with more ideas. I’ll help them with their Powerpoint presentation too.

“Some of the ideas are absolutely brilliant. One team came up with an idea for a wooden satellite. They explained that this would reduce space waste and burn up on its return into the atmosphere. Sure enough, last December NASA launched its first wooden satellite, so these young people were on the right track!

“These young minds don’t think ‘we can’t do this’, they think ‘here are the reasons we can do this’, and that outlook is really refreshing and interesting.

“As well as improving my communication skills, being involved has broadened my way of thinking and opened my mind. It’s given me a more positive attitude and empowered me to come up with new ideas in my role, and to challenge preconceptions.”

Beth Swinburn is a Quantity Surveyor at Northern Gas Networks and joined the mentoring scheme this year, working with Oxclose Community Academy in Washington.

She said: “It’s something different for me, taking me out of my comfort zone. I was nervous to begin with, the thought of being in a school hall with more than a hundred 12-14 year olds was daunting. But I really enjoyed it. Hopefully many of these young people will move into our industry so it’s great to speak to them and find out how they think and answer their questions.

“Throughout my career I’ve generally been the youngest on my team, so learning how to communicate with people younger than me, without patronising them, is really valuable.

“They were really engaged and had some great ideas. Sometimes young people can be quite timid but they weren’t like that at all, they all just got stuck in.

“One great idea was a ‘minus meat burger’ – making burgers using half meat and half meat alternatives, for people who don’t want to cut out meat entirely but might be thinking about making that step. I was really impressed. My role was to guide them and answer questions.”

Jen Baughan, CEO at Solutions for the Planet, said: “We’re very proud of our partnership with Northern Gas Networks through our Big Ideas Programme. The work we do together is a true win-win – young talent gain invaluable insights from our experienced mentors, while mentors, like Andy and Beth, are equally enriched by fresh perspectives and enthusiasm. It’s a mutual learning opportunity that encourages creativity and personal growth on all sides.”

To find out more about Northern Gas Networks visit www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk

Find out more about the Big Ideas programme here: https://solutionsfortheplanet.co.uk/big-ideas-programme/

If you’re a Northern Gas Networks colleague interested in finding out more and signing up to mentor for the next school year, please contact Jenny Wilkinson jewilkinson@northerngas.co.ukThis link opens in a new tab ​