Following SMart Wind’s second successful year of its SMart Futures Schools programme, students from Longcroft School and Performing Arts College have been commended as runners-up in a competition to name the next individual wind farms and offshore transmission assets within the Hornsea Round 3 Zone.
The awards were presented at Hornsea School as part of their annual Green Britain Day at which Conservative MP for Beverley and Holderness and Chairman of the Education Select Committee, Graham Stuart said
“Green Britain Day is all about building awareness, understanding and excitement about a greener Britain. By linking business, schools and a green vision, SMart Futures brings all these issues alive and lets the children take centre stage”.
SMart Futures is a fun and educational competition to encourage year 9 school pupils aged between 12 & 14 years old to focus on Science Technology Engineering & Maths (STEM) subjects as a route to accessing potential jobs & careers in Offshore Wind and Renewable Energy.
Longcroft Maths Teacher, Mrs Liz Cook, explained:
“Although we were not the ultimate winners, being commended as runners-up was a great success for our students. The students who took part were all very enthusiastic and I am proud of how well they represented the school. As well as enjoying being part of the SMart Future Schools programme, they also learnt a lot about the various aspects of renewable wind farm technology, which we will revisit in school and use to help enhance STEM provision.”
Mr Ian O’Donnell, Longcroft’s Headteacher, added:
“At Longcroft we are very keen on raising the awareness of our students to the opportunities afforded them through the study of STEM subjects. Employment prospects within the renewable energy sector are definitely on the increase in this region – by working with SMart and taking part in competitions of this kind, we are preparing our students for a world which will increasingly rely on alternative energy and new technologies. Who knows, maybe Longcroft students will become part of the workforce at the heart of these exciting developments in the years to come.”
Since its launch in October 2010, SMart Futures has engaged thirty (30) local schools from the Humber region, from North and South of the estuary, reaching nearly 6,000 pupils and teachers with awareness- raising presentations and nearly 1,800 students and teachers into practical, hands-on technical workshops related to wind energy.
Beyond the original remit, SMart Futures has also been delivered into a Special Needs School near Hull, at the World Skills Event at the London Excel Conference Centre and has been pioneered as an exemplar STEM activity for Science teachers at York University undergoing initial teacher training.
SMart Futures was designed in collaboration by SMart Wind, STEMNET and also Humberside Engineering Training Association (HETA), the 2012 winner of the Humber Renewables Award for “Delivering Excellence in Training & Education”. SMart Futures is also nominated for two national industry awards in 2012.
