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Volunteers’ Week is a national celebration of the people who give their time to support others. At Northern Gas Networks (NGN), it’s an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the many ways our colleagues use their volunteer days to make a meaningful difference across the communities we serve.

Every NGN colleague is entitled to two paid volunteer days each year, creating practical, flexible volunteer opportunities that support charities, schools, environmental projects, and community organisations throughout our network area.

From organised group activity to individual volunteering, our colleagues are turning time and skills into real community impact.

Practical Volunteering Opportunities at NGN

Volunteering at NGN is designed to be accessible, flexible and meaningful. Colleagues are encouraged to use their volunteer days as they see fit. Whether that’s joining an organised volunteer day with colleagues or supporting a cause they care about independently.

Volunteer opportunities available to colleagues have included:

• Community and environmental volunteering, such as beach clean-ups, woodland maintenance and supporting wildlife trusts
  • Supporting vulnerable people, including helping hospice charity shops, food projects and local community organisations
  • Education and youth engagement opportunities, such as mentoring in schools, supporting STEM outreach and acting as career role models
  • Team volunteer days, where colleagues come together to volunteer as a group during Volunteers’ Week or at other times of the year

Volunteering Opportunities in Action: Making a Real Difference

Our colleagues have supported a wide range of causes across the North. This has included helping local volunteer groups maintain community spaces after severe weather, supporting hospice shops by sorting donations and preparing stock. We’ve also volunteered our time to help schools and young people develop skills and confidence for the future.

Our colleagues have also taken part in environmental volunteer days in partnership with trusted charities, helping protect and enhance local green spaces. These volunteer opportunities don’t just benefit the communities we serve. They also give colleagues the chance to build new skills, gain confidence and experience work beyond their usual roles.

Why Volunteering Matters at Northern Gas Networks

Volunteering is an important part of NGN’s commitment to being a responsible employer and a business rooted in the communities it serves. It supports colleague wellbeing and development and strengthens engagement.

Claire Allcock, our HR Director, notes:

“Volunteering is incredibly important to us at NGN. Giving colleagues the opportunity to use their paid volunteer days allows them to support causes they care about, develop new skills and make a real difference in their communities. It’s a life cycle that enriches and gives purpose to everyone.”

Learn More about Life at NGN

Volunteering is just one of the ways our colleagues make a difference at Northern Gas Networks. From meaningful community impact to career development and progression, we’re proud to offer opportunities that go beyond the day job.

Find out more about life at NGN and explore our current career opportunities on our website.

At Northern Gas Networks, we believe work experience should be more than just observing. It should inspire confidence, build skills and help young people see what their future could look like. That’s exactly what Sophie Reid, a 17 year old Year 13 student at Ripon Grammar School Sixth Form, did when she joined our work experience programme.

Studying Design and Technology (Product Design), Geography and Chemistry, Sophie spent a week exploring a wide range of teams across NGN, gaining insight into real careers. Her thoughtful feedback helped shape and improve our work experience programme for future students.

Here, Sophie shares her experience in her own words.

Discovering the Breadth of a Gas Distribution Network

Taking part in the work experience programme at Northern Gas Networks was super insightful! I had the opportunity to meet colleagues from across many departments at NGN, including innovation, social vulnerability, environment, management and the legal team.

It really makes you think about how many people with different specialisms are needed to help connect our region through gas pipelines. Everyone I met was enthusiastic about sharing what their role involved, as well as the future goals and aspirations of their department.

Learning Through Real World Challenges

I completed the programme alongside three other young people who attended different schools, sixth forms, universities and colleges. Together, we took part in tasks and challenges focused on real-life problem-solving, which is crucial to NGN’s day-to-day operations.

I really enjoyed meeting and working with people with different skills, experiences, and backgrounds. I’ve done work experience before, but for some of the others, this was their first time. I’m glad this experience was different from the others: less sitting around and watching, more interaction.

Like me, they found the application process really easy. Applying through a quick 10 minute online form felt straightforward, and support was great before, during and even after the experience.

Feeling Welcome from Day One

NGN did a brilliant job of making us feel welcomed and supported. We had the option to use the staff dining area or visit the nearby retail park for lunch. Refreshments were provided in the mornings, and we really looked forward to our morning coffee catch-up!

One highlight was attending a lunch with senior leaders. Many of them had spent a long time working at NGN, so they were able to offer really interesting perspectives and discuss how their careers had developed across different roles within the company.

Exploring Innovation, Sustainability and Social Impact

For me, the most interesting people to speak to were colleagues working in innovation, environment and social vulnerability. Their work focused on reducing inequality and on exploring ways to mitigate the negative environmental impacts of hydrocarbons, including research into using gas pipes for hydrogen in the future.

This really stood out to me and linked closely with my own interests in sustainability and geography.

How Work Experience Helped Shape My Future

Since completing my work experience at NGN, I’ve included it in my personal statements for university applications to Global Sustainable Development, Geography, and Planning courses. I’ve received all five offers, which I genuinely believe were strengthened by this experience.

I think this work experience is incredibly useful for choosing and applying for a wide range of courses, apprenticeships and jobs, especially because you get exposure to so many different departments that you can later reference in applications and covering letters.

Many colleagues also shared their contact details with us, offering support if we had questions after the programme or needed a reference, which felt really encouraging.

Why I’d Recommend NGN Work Experience Programme

There really is no reason not to take up the opportunity to do the one-week work experience at NGN. Travel costs are covered*, individual needs are accommodated, and everything feels well thought out. I see it as a real investment in my personal growth and future.

What stood out most to me was the genuine interest and effort shown by everyone I met. That experience has inspired me even more to work towards a career focused on helping people and protecting the environment.

A huge thank you to Sophie for her hard work, enthusiasm and valuable input into our work experience programme. Her feedback is helping us continue to create meaningful opportunities for young people starting out on their career journey.

If you’re a student looking to gain real world experience, explore different career paths and build confidence for the future, find out more about NGN work experience and apply today.

Choosing a future career can feel daunting, especially if you’re not sure what opportunities are out there or how to take your first step into the world of work.

That is why Northern Gas Networks (NGN) has launched an exciting, fully accredited work experience programme, designed to help young people in West Yorkshire build real skills, confidence and experience for what comes next.

Taking place at NGN’s head office in at Thorpe Park in Leeds, this one‑week programme offers much more than traditional work experience. Co-designed by young people, it focuses on hands-on projects, teamwork, and real-world problem-solving, giving students genuine insight into careers in STEM and beyond.

This summer, NGN is inviting young people to Design Your Future.

A Different Kind of Work Experience in West Yorkshire

This programme isn’t about shadowing or watching from the sidelines. Starting on Monday,27 July 2026, participants will spend a week immersed in the working life of a major UK energy company. Students will be contributing ideas, solving challenges and working together as a team.

The programme has been co‑created by members of NGN’s Young Innovators Council, ensuring it reflects what young people want and need from work experience today.

It’s built around one clear idea: design thinking, real careers and real impact.

Explore Careers in STEM and Beyond

Northern Gas Networks plays a vital role in keeping communities across the North of England safe, warm and connected, whilst also preparing its network for a greener, net-zero future.

Throughout the week, participants will explore a wide range of roles across the business, including:

• Engineering and operations
• Net zero and sustainability
• Communications and digital
• Customer experience
• Business and support functions

For students interested in careers in STEM, this is a chance to see how technical, environmental and problem‑solving skills are applied in real life. Our work experience programme will give young adults insight into how those roles make a genuine difference to customers and communities.

Accessible, Accredited and Open to Everyone

This Northern Gas Networks work experience programme is fully accredited by Industrial Cadets, managed by the Engineering Development Trust (EDT), and aligned to the Gatsby Benchmarks for high‑quality careers guidance.

No experience. No connections required.

NGN is keen to reach young people who may not otherwise have access to professional networks or traditional work experience opportunities. Applications are open to anyone with curiosity, enthusiasm and potential.

All reasonable travel expenses are covered*, helping to ensure this work experience in West Yorkshire remains accessible to as many young people as possible.

Building Confidence for the Future

Young people who successfully complete the programme will leave with:

• Accredited, transferable workplace skills
• Increased confidence and self‑belief
• New professional connections
• Insight into future education, training and career pathways

Roxanne Allen, our Talent Development Manager, said:

“As an organisation based in the heart of the region we serve, we’re committed to investing in our northern communities and giving young people access to opportunities that help develop essential skills for their future careers.

This programme offers meaningful, project‑based work experience that helps students build confidence, teamwork and problem‑solving skills to support their future education and career choices.”

What You’ll Do on the Programme

Over the course of the week, students will:

• Build practical skills employers look for, including teamwork, communication and presentation
• Tackle real‑world business challenges using problem‑solving techniques used by major organisations
• Work collaboratively rather than just observing
• Meet colleagues from across NGN and learn about different career paths
• Gain a recognised Industrial Cadets Silver digital badge to support CVs, college, apprenticeship and university applications

What Does Our Work Experience Week Look Like?

Across the five days, participants will take part in interactive sessions designed to build confidence and capability, including:

• Health & safety demonstrations and insight into NGN’s operational work
• Problem‑solving challenges focused on customers and communities
• Sessions with apprentices, graduates and early-career colleagues
• Opportunities to share ideas and learn from NGN’s innovation and net zero teams

Each day builds skills step‑by‑step, helping young people grow in confidence while gaining a real understanding of working life.

Inspired by Real Experience

Sophie Reid, a student at Ripon Grammar School Sixth Form and a member of NGN’s Young Innovators Council, helped co‑design the programme and previously completed work experience at NGN.

She said:

“My work experience with NGN really was an investment in my personal growth and future.

I was able to get involved in environmental research, looking at how the gas network could be used to transport greener energy. That experience inspired my future studies, and I mentioned it in my university applications, which helped me receive five offers.”

Design Your Future

If you’re aged 15–18 and looking for meaningful, accredited work experience in West Yorkshire, this is your opportunity to explore real careers, gain confidence and build skills for the future.

You don’t need experience, confidence or connections, just curiosity and ambition.

👉 Design Your Future. Learn more and apply now here on the Northern Gas Networks website.
Applications close 19 June 2026.

*Travel expenses covered in line with programme criteria.

Our Work Experience at a Glance

• Who: Young people aged 15–18 (no previous experience needed)
• Where: Northern Gas Networks Head Office, Thorpe Park Business Park, Leeds (LS15 8TU)
• When: Monday 27 – Friday 31 July 2026
• Time: 09:30–16:30 each day
• Travel: All reasonable travel expenses covered*
• Accreditation: Industrial Cadets Silver digital badge (awarded within 14 days of completion)
• Eligibility: Applicants living within 20 miles of NGN’s Leeds head office (Thorpe Park)