Forty-two pupils from Edinburgh and the Lothians put their sustainability skills to the test at Musselburgh Grammar as they took part in a pioneering programme aimed at developing the employability skills of the future.
Teams from Musselburgh Grammar, Preston Lodge High School, Lasswade High School, Craigmount, Balerno and Galashiels Academy took part in the Powering Futures Schools Challenge presentations, where they were tasked with finding innovative sustainable solutions to five real-world challenges facing businesses today.
The challenge-setters were Scottish Water, EV charging experts Urban Fox, BritishGas, Newsquest and The Scottish Government, with the challenge topics spanning reducing water consumption, netzero targets for sports clubs and schools, improving transport connectivity and creating trusted media on climate change.
The pupils were tasked with researching the challenges and collaborating to come up with creative solutions.
Drawing on guidance from industry mentors, they presented their creative solutions to a panel of judges including Paul McLennan MSP and Colin Beattie MSP, plus representatives from East Lothian Council, DYW Borders, FutureX, University of Edinburgh, Energy Training Academy, Musselburgh Windsor FC, Lantra, Energy3 and Social Bite at a showcase event for Edinburgh, Lothians and the Borders regions held at Musselburgh Grammar this week – earning a SCQF Level 6 qualification at the end of the process.
Powering Futures was set up in 2020 to empower the young and future workforce with the skills, knowledge and abilities to help the transition to net zero.
The SCQF level 6 accredited Powering Futures Schools Challenge has seen 643 pupils from 43 schools across Scotland participate in 2023-2024 – with Powering Futures aiming to engage a million young people in the programme by 2030.
MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands Gordon MacDonald said: “The Powering Futures Challenge is a fantastic opportunity for young people to shape and develop essential skills for their futures.
“It is an innovative collaboration between businesses and schools which enables participants to use their creativity, problem solving and teamwork to learn about sustainability and how this can be applied through specific projects.
“S5 and S6 Pupils from Balerno High School have been participating in this year’s programme taking on real-world sustainability challenges set by the sponsor, researching and collaborating on a solution, which ends with them presenting it to a panel of industry judges.
“I want to wish them the best of luck and know all their hard work and commitment to the project will provide them with much valued skills as they embark on the world of work or further education.”
Jennifer Tempany, Co-Founder of Powering Futures, said: “We were delighted to have four teams from Craigmount and Balerno High School take part in the Challenge Programme.
“We are always blown away by the innovation and creativity shown by pupils as they tackle some relevant challenges set by industry.
“By empowering young people through our pioneering Powering Futures Challenge Programme, we can help them develop the critical skills that employers are looking for in their future workforce as well as establishing those essential links between the businesses of today and the workers of tomorrow who will power Scotland’s net-zero future.”
