| Young professionals
Left: Glasgow Science Centre is inspiring the next generation of hydropower workers, nurturing STEM learning in partnership with Drax © TreasureGalore / Shutterstock. com
a £60,000 grant to the Glasgow Science Centre, allowing expert staff to deliver this educational endeavour for another year. The primary schools programme, facilitated through
Glasgow Science Centre’s ‘Learning Lab’ over four to six weeks, uses case studies of Drax’s Scottish assets to educate children on various hydropower types like pumped hydro and run-of-river plants, with participating classes either visiting the Science Centre or receiving a visit from its ‘On Tour’ team. For secondary students, particularly those in the fifth and sixth year, STEM Futures Work Readiness Workshops are offered at the Glasgow Science Centre, where they collaborate to explore career opportunities in Scottish hydropower and the necessary skills for those roles. The Drax Foundation, the charitable entity of
renewable energy company Drax Group, also recently announced it has awarded funding to several organisations that promote water safety in communities near to its hydroelectric power assets in Scotland. On average, 96 people lose their life each year due
to a water-related fatality in Scotland, so it is paramount that young people are taught how to enjoy water- based activities in a safe and responsible way. “That’s why promoting water safety in the communities where we operate is an important issue for us at Drax,” says Ian Kinnaird, the company’s FlexGen Assets Director.
Youth engagement Efforts have also been made to increase youth
engagement in the Lancang-Mekong Region. Workshops brought together youth leaders, project implementers, academic institutes, practitioners and key stakeholders from across the six Mekong-Lancang countries to discuss the project’s achievements. A five-year action plan for youth leadership in the water sector and climate change adaptation was also drafted, and further enhancements made to capacities in communications, climate smart technology, multi- stakeholder engagement, and leadership. It forms part of a long-term initiative to build a regional youth leadership network focused on inclusive governance
and management of water resources in the Mekong- Lancang region.
Dr. Chayanis Krittasudthacheewa is SEI’s Asia Deputy Director and lead of the project called Building Water Sector Youth Leadership Network in the Lancang Mekong Region. He said the workshop is a valuable opportunity to highlight the growing role of youth in governing and managing water resources in the Mekong-Lancang region. “Given that water security and building climate
resilience are urgent global challenges, the involvement of young leaders is essential to creating sustainable, lasting solutions. For the first time, youth leaders and young water professionals from our six Mekong-Lancang countries – united as one big family – will have a dedicated five-year action plan. This plan will empower youth to shape our shared homes and future across the region for the long term, ensuring no one is left behind,” he added.
Internships The transition from academia to professional
engineering practice has been described as being ‘a pivotal and formidable challenge’ for graduating engineers. Research exploring the effectiveness of internship programmes has focused on students in Civil and Hydropower Engineering at Nepal’s Mid-West University. Internships are considered a crucial component of university education’s practical training, providing students with invaluable opportunities to connect theory to practice, build professional skills, and gain knowledge about career planning and workplace organisation. Through internship the students have the opportunity to understand about real practices in their professional field. The study underscores the importance of
collaborative efforts in fostering industry-relevant competencies among future construction engineers. Its findings suggest practical implications for universities in refining internship initiatives, improving curricula, and establishing robust internship guidelines to better prepare students for professional careers in engineering disciplines.
References
Mixed-methods study of the ‘green skills gap’ in the UK and its effect on the UK’s hydropower sector. ESRC Research centre on Micro- Social Change. Eddy Sidebotham.
2024.
https://doi.org/10.5526/ misoc-2024-003
New report highlights ‘significant employment opportunities’ in the Highlands at flagship Statkraft project
https://www.sei.org/ about-sei/press-room/ youth-engagement-lancang- mekong-region/
Bridge to Professional Practice: Evaluating Internship Effectiveness and Coordination for Civil and Hydropower Engineering Graduates, A Study of Mid-West University of Nepal using ANN by Uttam Neupane, Socrates B. Sharma and Subash K. Bhattarai. JOETP, August 2024, Volume 5, Number 1, 98-113. ISSN 2717- 4638
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