300 secondary school children in the North East 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 £1m 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.
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.
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.
