Building our Future celebrates its first year’s success
Building our Future, the STEM-focussed primary careers-learning programme, funded by Dogger Bank Wind Farm, held its first year celebration at Redcar & Cleveland College recently.
The Building Our Future programme aims to embed careers education into every primary school in Redcar and Cleveland through engaging workshops supported by local employers. The programme is being delivered by Redcar and Cleveland Voluntary Development Agency with strategic support and guidance from Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.
Joined by employers, partners and schools, the programme leaders highlighted the success of the first year’s programme, delivered after a pilot programme in 2021-22.
More than 560 young people from 20 Redcar & Cleveland primary and SEND schools have worked with the Building our Future team, and local employers, to learn the skills and knowledge required for the future workforce, particularly within renewable energy industries, such as Dogger Bank.
John Anthony, Vice Chair, Redcar and Cleveland Voluntary Development Agency:
The “Building our Futures” programme is undoubtedly a triumph for teamwork but most importantly a triumph for all the young people who have grown through the process and for those who are still to benefit.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm have supported the programme, not only with funding and resources, but ensuring commitment for employer engagement with schools across their wide and diverse supply chain partnerships. The project unveiled plans for our £1 million investment in key communities of Redcar & Cleveland, East Riding of Yorkshire and South Tyneside in June 2021.
The Dogger Bank team worked with local education providers in Redcar and Cleveland to create a bespoke legacy for the wind farm that tackles the specific educational needs of each community and directly addresses the requirements of young people in the region.
Lindsay Dougan, Community Investment Manager for Dogger Bank Wind Farm, said:
“We’d like to say a huge thanks to everyone who’s made this programme a success in its first year, especially those local employers who’ve given up their time to give 562 children the opportunity to learn about a diverse range of STEM careers right on their doorstep. To hear the children talking so enthusiastically and in such an informed way about STEM, is a testament to the hard work of many organisations and individuals working together to raise aspirations and help young people to unlock their potential.”
Employers working on local regeneration projects are also committing resources and time as part of their corporate social responsibility, to the Building our Future programme, allowing pupils to visit local sites, and work with a range of staff, including project managers, civil engineers and architects.
Luke Myer, Elected Member and Lead for Children and Families, said:
“Building our Future is an inspiring programme that is benefitting many children in Redcar and Cleveland, highlighting to them what they could be become in the future through the wide range of local STEM businesses and job roles. We are grateful to all the employers and partners who have made the programme such a success over the past year.”
Building our Future has also been able to offer wider support to schools with science curriculum resources and activities, visits to local colleges, literacy materials courtesy of Dogger Bank Wind Farm sub-supplier Keltbray and its When I Grow Up book, and National Careers Week career events.
Quote from Stuart Wilson BEng (Hons) CEng MIET, Technical Director, Sweco, said:
The “Building our Future” programme is all about inspiring the next generation of Engineers which aligns with my own principles and those of Sweco where “we plan and design the sustainable cities and communities of our future …however I was never given the opportunity to understand the diverse opportunities that a career in Engineering could offer. This is why it is really important to me personally to be able to work with our future generations so they better understand how diverse a career in Engineering can be and this is exactly what the fantastic Building our Future programme is all about.”