9th December 2019
Ørsted is delighted to announce that two groups will share more than £50,000 in funding from the Walney Extension Skills Fund, which is aimed at helping to deliver Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) related training or education courses in the region.
An award of nearly £40,000 goes to STEM Learning Ltd to develop two ENTHUSE Partnership projects in Cumbria and Lancaster. Each Partnership project will bring together eight schools and colleges from within the eligible funding area, to develop a two-year intensive improvement programme to raise achievement and aspiration in STEM subjects.
Fran Dainty, Head of STEM Expertise, said: “We are delighted that this funding from Ørsted will enable STEM Learning to work with local schools to give their pupils a world-leading science, technology, engineering and maths education. Through excellent STEM teaching and by building awareness of STEM careers and the opportunities they offer, we can improve the life chances of some of the most vulnerable young people in the Cumbria and Lancashire area.”
The second award of £14,000 has been granted to the Science Learning Partnership to support the introduction and running of a STEM project for 11 schools that make up the Furness Education Consortium. Over 600 pupils will be encouraged to work on a project and prepare for an interschool competition which involves students using the key employability skills supported by STEM.
Sarah Connon, Regional Development Lead of the Science Learning Partnership, said: “I am excited to be able to use this funding to provide interactive resources and training for teachers, STEM ambassadors, local employers and students enabling them to work together as a community to upskill our next workforce generation. The focus of the activities will be based on local market information which will support both teachers and students in understanding next steps to successful employment.”
Each year, Ørsted provides approximately £600,000 of funding for skills and community projects for the expected 25-year lifetime of the Walney Extension development, which is one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms.
Imran Nawaz, Ørsted’s Stakeholder Advisor, said: “The growth of the offshore wind industry in the UK is creating fantastic career opportunities for local people on their own doorsteps. Through initiatives like our Skills Funds, we aim to provide access to the skills and training needed to take advantage of these opportunities.”
The Fund is being administered by the independent grant-making charity GrantScape. For further information about the Fund, to see details of the projects awarded grants in earlier rounds and to find out how to apply, please visit their website www.grantscape.org.uk or call 01908 247634.
About Ørsted
The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. Ørsted develops, constructs and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms and energy storage facilities, bioenergy plants and provides energy products to its customers. Headquartered in Denmark, Ørsted employs 6,500 people. Ørsted’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (Ørsted). In 2018, the group’s revenue was DKK 76.9 billion ($11.4 billion). For more information on Ørsted, visit orsted.co.uk or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.
About GrantScape
GrantScape is a grant-making charity committed to enhancing the environment and strengthening local communities through its grant programmes. GrantScape’s experience stretches back to 1997 and it has awarded grants totalling over £80 million to deserving projects over this time.
GrantScape manages a range of community and environmental grant programmes on behalf of corporate and local authority clients. These are tailored to their individual requirements, which is the charity’s speciality. In addition, GrantScape offers a professional project management and grant process review service to groups requiring support with these activities.
For further information, please see: www.grantscape.org.uk
About Walney Extension
The Walney Extension offshore wind farm is located next to the existing Walney Offshore Wind Farm, off the Walney Island coast in Cumbria. With a capacity of 659MW, Walney Extension is one of the world’s largest offshore wind farms and comprises of 87 turbines. For further information, please visit: walneyextension.co.uk
About Walney Extension Community Fund
The Fund supports community and environmental projects along the Cumbria and Lancashire coast, within a defined area. Approximately £600,000 is available each year (£100,000 of this is ring-fenced for a ‘Skills Fund’). The Fund is split equally between two annual funding rounds. There are two levels of grants available:
- Small grants between £500 and £5,000
- Main grants between £5,001 and £75,000
Applications to the Fund are made using an online application system via the GrantScape website www.grantscape.org.uk
