Cover story


‘Drax is investing in education to ensure it


has access to a


skilled workforce in the future’


Promoting STEM Energy company Drax Group (drax.com) has a longstanding commitment to support schools local to its power stations by promoting STEM subjects and careers through a range of initiatives. Its educational outreach


programme aims to encourage more children to study STEM subjects. Thousands of pupils have enjoyed free educational tours at Drax Power Station in Yorkshire, as well as Cruachan pumped hydro storage power station in Scotland. Drax has also invested in careers


events encouraging girls to work in the energy sector (as part of efforts to address the underrepresentation of women). Additionally, it has


supported schools to take part in the Greenpower Challenge (a national competition run by UK charity Greenpower Education Trust) by providing them with EV kit cars to build and race. During the pandemic, educational


tours moved online and Drax developed an extensive educational webinar programme with short videos, STEM challenge activities and interactive resources: drax. com/visit-us/educational- resources. The company spent £250,000 to provide more than 850 laptops (with three months’ pre-paid internet access) to 50 schools. Drax aims to develop a negative- emissions technology called


Online careers workshops At the beginning of the year, Future First (futurefirst.org.uk), a charity that helps schools build alumni networks, joined forces with financial services company Legal & General to run two virtual workshops for secondary school pupils in England. The Future First workshops focused


on areas with low rates of social mobility and were aimed at tackling perceptions about working for Legal & General, as well as providing advice and support with interview skills. Each session was staffed by seven volunteers, and together they reached about 60 students. Legal & General business development


bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), needed in a net-zero economy. It is investing in education to ensure it has access to a skilled workforce that can develop and operate the green technologies of the future. In partnership with the Social


executive Laurence Stannard says he was overwhelmed by how many staff wanted to get involved: ‘The team clearly got a lot out of it: they were falling over themselves to give information, while the students were really engaged. Many staff come from similar backgrounds to the students, and so they understand why social and economic mobility is important. ‘The students don’t have exposure


to what is out there – and the volunteers get that. The work Future First is doing gives young people the confidence to step outside their comfort zone and try things that may inspire them.’


Mobility Pledge led by former education secretary Justine Greening, Drax has published an Opportunity Action Plan. It has also announced a five-year partnership with Selby College as part of its Mobilising a Million initiative, which aims to increase employability for a million people by 2025. Support with STEM subjects


continues through a structured work experience training programme: Drax took on 21 young people in 2019 across departments including chemistry, IT, finance, logistics and engineering, in placements of between one and four weeks. It is currently running virtual work experience programmes. There’s also an apprenticeship scheme, with offers of full-time employment for successful trainees.


FundEd SUMMER 2021 15


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