Grow your Future Workforce

Grow Your Future Workforce (GYFW) is a collaboration between business and education. It is an NWDA-funded project involving two major employers, United Utilities and Scottish Power, working with schools and colleges throughout the Northwest. The project aims to create a new generation of young engineers who will take up careers in the electricity industry, where currently there is a skills shortage. The project has been given additional funding for a further two years to enable the participating schools to complete work with existing pupils and to produce the final evaluation report for the project

The initiative is a response to a number of problems facing the electricity industry including:

• An ageing workforce of craftsmen, technicians and graduate engineers 
• Difficulty in recruiting sufficient, qualified engineers at every level from apprentices to graduate and chartered engineers 
• Ambitious and challenging investment and maintenance programmes to manage and resource.

These problems have developed over a number of years and are attributed to:

• A year-on-year decline in the number of students opting to study engineering 
• Many electrical engineers choosing to work outside the UK on graduation and/or work in areas other than the power industry 
• The lack of sufficiently qualified science or maths teachers in schools, resulting in subjects often being taught by staff with no qualifications in that discipline. As a consequence, many students are not reaching their full potential
• The poorer profile of engineering among the general public compared to other professions; there is a perceived lack of career opportunities and it is still seen as a predominately male profession.

The key elements of the GYFW programme are:

• 10 consortia established in the Northwest, each based around a lead secondary school 
• Funding from the NWDA over an initial three year period 
• Engineering support and expertise provided by United Utilities and Scottish Power 
• Commitment from companies over an extended period of time that allows the building of a ‘progression accord’, where business and education build sustainable futures 
• Developing individual programmes and sharing experiences – successes and failures – across the 10 consortia 
• Independent, formative evaluation and dissemination of results, key findings and best practice.

Achievements:

• Improved awareness of, and interest in, science and engineering among students and teachers 
• Improved teaching and learning resources 
• Raised levels of achievement in maths and science at Key Stages 2, 3 and 4 
• Thriving after-school science, technology and engineering clubs
• Increased take-up of Applied Engineering GCSE
• Enhanced school-to-work provision 
• Stronger partnerships between schools, training providers and industry 
• Increased take-up of employment or post-16/18 education/training in engineering  
• Successful Young Apprenticeship schemes
• Increased take-up of Modern Apprenticeships
• Increased take up of Science at A' level 
• Improved links with universities to promote interest in science and engineering.

Awards

• Skills to Work 2004 – “Innovation in Developing Engagement Between Business and Education' 
• Northwest Business in The Community (BITC) 'Big Tick' 2005 – “Power in Partnership” (also short-listed for the national award) 
• Office of the Deputy Prime Minister – 2005 Northwest BITC "Opening Doors" – national showcase of best practice in the community 
• Skills to Work 2005 – “Workforce Development In Construction, Engineering, Manufacturing, Utilities and Logistics Sectors” 
• Short-listed for the National Utility Awards 2005