Dogger Bank Wind Farm Community Fund supports virtual work experience for South Tyneside pupils
- Event Date: 23rd May 2022
- Location: Virtual
- 300 students in South Tyneside to benefit from work experience that has not been available in person due to the pandemic.
- The theme ‘Engineering your Future’ will allow pupils to explore what a career in STEM is really like.
- The activities are part of a £1 million community fund investment during the construction of the wind farm.
300 secondary school children in the North East of England are set to benefit from virtual work experience, to help prepare them for future careers.
The activities have been developed in partnership with South Tyneside Council, where the Operation and Maintenance Base will be located at the Port of Tyne. This is part of a wider £1 million community investment fund putting science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) at the heart of young people’s education, to help them prepare for the jobs that will be vital to the green economic recovery of the UK.
Cllr Tracey Dixon, Leader of South Tyneside Council, said:
“This week-long event will provide a fantastic opportunity for our students to gain insight and understanding of the STEM careers that developments like Dogger Bank will be opening up right on our doorstep.
“South Tyneside is at the forefront of the green industrial revolution and it’s vital that our young people can capitalise on that.
“Nurturing a well-qualified workforce is a priority for us and engaging with students with events like this will help broaden their aspirations and give them the knowledge and skills they need to support industry.”
Due to the pandemic no school children are able to attend work experience in person this year in South Tyneside, therefore, Dogger Bank Wind Farm is working with Springpod to deliver an online week long work experience to provide children an overview of STEM careers and set them some interesting challenges. The theme ‘Engineering your Future’ will explore what its really like to work in a role built on the foundation of STEM subjects.
Tom Nightingale, North East Stakeholder Manager said:
“The virtual work experience will be vital to support local school pupils with the skills needed to prepare them for their future careers. We are proud to be delivering such important services that can make a real difference to the lives of people in our local communities, in addition to the jobs and supply chain benefits created by the wind farm.
“This is one of the ways that our community fund will benefit an estimated 14,000 young people in the north-east of England, as we open their eyes to the green industry opportunities of our net zero future and help to unlock their future potential.“
In addition to enhancing STEM provision in the classroom, 62 students from the north-east of England and East Riding of Yorkshire will receive a scholarship to help with the cost of further education qualifications while studying STEM subjects, with the first 25 already awarded.
The £1 million investment also includes an Operators Fund to support other local causes to the value of up to £500. Community projects and local organisations in South Tyneside are able to apply at www.doggerbank.com.
Additional community funding will be allocated throughout the operational phase of the windfarm. The Dogger Bank Wind Farm STEM investment is one of the largest commitments to skills ever made by the offshore wind sector.
Dogger Bank Wind Farm will be located more than 130 km off the Yorkshire coast and will generate enough renewable energy to power six million UK homes. A joint venture between SSE Renewables, Equinor and Eni Plenitude, SSE Renewables is leading on Dogger Bank construction and delivery while Equinor will operate the wind farm for its lifetime, from a new base to be constructed at Port of Tyne.
Picture caption: Pupils from Boldon School are among those in the North East of England who will benefit from this investment from Dogger Bank Wind Farm.