West Lancashire College partnered with NSG Group and West Lancashire Borough Council to host an Energy & Low Carbon Sector Day for Year 7 and 8 pupils from Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Engineering College, Lathom High School and Up Holland High School.

Funded by Lancashire LEP and administered by The Careers & Enterprise Company, the Low Carbon sector day was designed to enable young people to explore the workplace and understand the sector and associated pathways.

Pupils attended three sessions, one of which was an on-site visit to NSG where they were met by the R&D Manager and the Director of Climate Change. They watched a presentation on NSG and what the organisation are doing locally and globally in terms of low carbon and energy, as well as how they are going to achieve Net Zero.

After the presentation, pupils were given a tour of the site and looked at the Solar Panels, including the different types of energy efficient glass and the impact of the technologies on their BMS system. This was followed by a tour of the R&D Labs, which was facilitated by a member of staff who had gained an Apprenticeship at NSG and was a former Up Holland High School pupil. They then completed an activity in the Museum area of the site, which focused on teamwork.

The second session was The Climate Change Game, delivered by West Lancashire Borough Council. Pupils were split into 2 or 3 teams to compete against each other to get to net zero and discussed their options with the Council Climate Change Officer.

The final session was conducted by the Engineering teaching team at West Lancashire College. Pupils were tasked with building a hydroponic growing system using a solar pump. Each school took part in the practical activity and were gifted the system to take back to their school to grow seedlings. The activity and presentation were designed by James, a Level 3 Engineering student at West Lancashire College.

The pupils explored topics including climate change, green technologies, and carbon footprint, as well as learning about the wide range of careers available in the Sustainability sector.

Aaron Hay, the Careers Advisor at Lathom High School said, “our students really enjoyed the day! It was great to introduce Year 7 students to career pathways on our doorstep and furthermore, career pathways that make a tangible difference in our society today in terms of Renewable Energy and lowering our Carbon Footprint. It was especially great to witness our students healthily engaged in a democratic process during the Climate Game with West Lancashire Borough Council.”

The college would like to thank the staff from West Lancashire Borough Council, NSG, plus the college’s Engineering team for delivering such engaging and thought-provoking sessions, as well as The Careers & Enterprise Company and Lancashire LEP for making the day possible.