During UK Net Zero Week (4-10 July) Northern Gas Networks (NGN) is celebrating the impact of its Energy Futures Education team – who work tirelessly to support its vision of a fairer, greener future for the North of England.
The last 12 months have been an incredible period for the team, filled with new partnerships, growing reach, and inspiring success stories. The team delivered 342 educational sessions, engaging with an impressive 28,596 young people from primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, universities and community organisations.
Encouraging young people to think sustainably
One of the standout achievements was the continued success of the Net Zero Island Competition, delivered in partnership with Skills House (Bradford Council) and University of Bradford. The competition challenged young people to think creatively about sustainable energy solutions while developing valuable STEM and teamwork skills.
The team also strengthened its partnership with STEM Learning, supporting various STEMFest events in Newcastle, Durham, Billingham, Darlington, Leeds, and Hull. These large-scale careers and STEM engagement events provided opportunities to connect with thousands of young people, helping them explore future careers, sustainability and the exciting role they can play in the UK’ s transition to clearer, greener forms of energy.
Dave Rockett, Energy Futures Education Team Lead, said: “This year has shown the power of collaboration. Whether working with schools, industry partners, volunteers from across NGN, or organisations such as Skills House and STEM Learning, our collective effort has helped thousands of young people better understand decarbonisation and the opportunities available within the future energy sector.”
The addition of events in Billingham supported the team’s growing stakeholder engagement activity across the Tees Valley, helping to raise awareness of future energy opportunities, including NGN’s East Coast Hydrogen proposals to connect hydrogen producers with industrial users.
Colleagues supporting education
Another success story from the year has been the growing number of NGN colleagues who have volunteered their time to support education activities. Whether attending classroom sessions, careers events, STEMFest exhibitions, judging competitions, or sharing their own career journeys, volunteers have helped bring the energy industry to life for young people.
Their enthusiasm and expertise have provided valuable real-world insights, broadened students’ understanding of the wide range of careers available within the sector, and strengthened the impact of the programme. The continued support from colleagues across the business demonstrates a shared commitment to inspiring the next generation and helping young people understand the opportunities available as the UK moves towards a Net Zero future.
A particularly proud moment was seeing team member Rebecca reach the final of the IGEM Young Persons’ Paper Competition (YPPC). Rebecca’s enthusiasm, knowledge and commitment have helped drive another successful year, ensuring more young people than ever are informed, inspired and empowered about the future of UK energy.
Alex Lawson, Net Zero Educator, said: “One of the most rewarding parts of our work is seeing students recognise that they can play an active role in the energy transition. Through hands-on activities, experiments and discussions, we aim to make complex topics accessible, relevant and exciting for the next generation.
Contact the Education Team at [email protected]