Pupils from Budehaven Community School working on wind energy experiments with Cornwall Light and Power.
Cornish students prepare for a sustainable future
More than 120 young people from Cornish schools took part in a day of hands-on activities aimed at inspiring and informing year 10 students about the increasing ‘green’ career opportunities that exist locally.
Held on Wednesday 30 June at the Tremough Campus, Penryn, the ‘Bright Green’ event featured activities such as looking at live data feeds from wind farms, finding out how electricity is made using renewable energy technologies and the opportunity to talk to a wide range of employers.
Pupils also explored traditional currach boat-building, natural paints, electric cars, sustainable energy, and charcoal production.
“The aim of the event is to inspire young people to make the connection between what they are learning at school to the jobs that will exist in the future as part of a low-carbon economy” said Rachel Delourme from Cornwall Learning Education Business Partnership.
Jointly organised by Cornwall Learning Education Business Partnership, the Environmental Skills Network, and the University of Exeter, the event was supported by the Key Sectors Project (European Social Fund and Skills Funding Agency co-financed) and involved partners from industry, and further and higher education. It explained pathways, both academic and vocational, into several sectors, including: renewable energy technologies and green construction, ‘green collar’ jobs in consultancy, environmental planning, law, ecology, conservation and finance.
During the visit school pupils took part in three hands-on workshops and visited an information fair. Camborne, Helston, Penrice, Budehaven and Hayle schools worked with employers including Naturepaint, the Eden Project, Cornwall Light and Power, Pure Energy, ACMA Lairdking, Rory McPhee Designs, Cornwall College ‘Greenpower’, Community Energy Plus, the Sustainable Trust and Post Graduates from Exeter University.
“Green Careers are set to grow and prosper, with an explosion of demand expected in the future – from renewable energy technologies to ‘green collar’ jobs”, said Kerrina Peschkes from the Environmental Skills Network. “This event offered young people the opportunity to talk directly to our network members and other organisations to explore sustainability and the exciting career opportunities first hand”.
Richard Prest, Student Recruitment and Outreach Officer at the University of Exeter, said: “Getting pupils engaged with the issues and the science around sustainability is important because it’s an area of growth for the future. Hopefully what they’ve seen will give them an idea of the careers available in the field, as well as inspire them to go on and study these areas in further and higher education.”
The Environmental Skills Network is a ‘not for profit’ organisation primarily formed to offer training support through ESF funding to environmental sector businesses, as well as environmental training to businesses from any sector (ESN is delivered on behalf of ReZolve, Community Energy Plus and Environment Kernow) through the Key Sectors Programme.
The £100 million Tremough Campus is a Combined Universities in Cornwall initiative of which the University of Exeter and University College Falmouth are two of the founding partners. The two higher education institutions share and jointly manage the Campus in an arrangement that is unique in the UK. It is funded mainly by the European Union (Objective One and Convergence), the South West Regional Development Agency and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, with support from Cornwall Council. Set in 95 acres of countryside, but close to the waterside towns of Penryn and Falmouth, the Campus offers a lively student community. The University of Exeter now offers degrees in Biology, Modern Celtic and Cornish Studies, English, Geology, Geography, History, Law, Mining Engineering, Politics and Renewable Energy at the Campus, which continues to be developed.
Date: 9 July 2010
