Over 3000 primary and secondary school children in the North East of England are set to attend STEMFest Net Zero across 3 days, with Dogger Bank Wind Farm sponsoring the Power and Natural Resources Zone.
STEMFest will deliver a Net Zero theme in direct response to the growing renewable energy sector in the region. The event will showcase the range of green energy businesses, careers, and job roles available across the region both now and in the future. STEMFest will take place at St. James Park in Newcastle, and is being delivered by North East STEM Hub, Newcastle United Foundation, RTC North and STEM Ambassador Hub North East.
With our Operation and Maintenance Base located at the Port of Tyne, Dogger Bank Wind Farm community fund is working closely with South Tyneside Council to provide funding for local school children to travel to and from STEMFest.
Tom Nightingale, North East Stakeholder Manager said:
STEM initiatives are at the heart of the Dogger Bank Community Fund and we are excited to support this major event in Newcastle, where we are building our operations and maintenance base. We hope to inspire young people in the region to study STEM subjects and enter careers in industries such as the energy sector. North East England is a leading UK cluster for offshore wind and we look forward to showcasing this to the next generation.
We are also working with South Tyneside Council in order to make the event accessible to local school children and are providing funding to transport students to and from the event. 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.
In addition to supporting STEM provision in the classroom and STEM activities, 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 can 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.
