Bringing green skills to life through our New Energy Academy

Our New Energy Academy aims to empower students with the skills and inspiration needed to lead the charge towards a more sustainable future in a fun and engaging way. With a host of free educational resources available to students, teachers and parents, we’re supporting young people with the opportunity to learn about and develop the green skills essential for a more sustainable future.

Scott Somerville, Director of External Affairs at E.ON UK, said: “Our New Energy Academy is about more than education – it’s about empowerment. We want young people to feel confident in their ability to lead the way to a new energy world, equipped with the skills and passion to make a real difference."

To celebrate the launch of the online platform, we invited 58 Year 7 pupils from The Becket School in Nottingham to NFFC to experience some of the resources and activities from the New Energy Academy. We’ve been Nottingham Forest’s Official Sustainability Partner since 2021 so where better to host the event than at the team’s club.

“Students and staff really enjoyed the day. It was well organised and informative. A great mix of learning and having fun.” – Schoolteacher from The Becket School

Some of our brilliant colleagues volunteered on the day to help run the various sessions for the students, including some of our Enterprise Advisors and degree apprentices. From an interactive Q&A session with our volunteers to hands on workshops, the activities aimed to bring to life the green skills needed for a more sustainable future, as well as to educate young people about the breadth of green careers in the energy sector.

“I understand now why green skills are important for the future and how I can develop them.” – Student from The Becket School

The different activities were created to support the students develop essential skills for a greener future:  communication, creative problem solving, critical thinking, empathy, resilience, adaptability, teamwork and initiative.

From roleplaying a debate on whether a fictional town should be pedestrianised, including how this would impact residents, to taking part in a recycling relay and creatively using objects to solve global climate challenges, the students explored different areas of green skills.

Even better, all of the resources for these activities are available on our New Energy Academy website, meaning they can be delivered in classrooms across the UK and help many more students benefit.

The students also heard a motivational speech from footballing trailblazer Fara Williams MBE on her journey from homelessness to sporting legend – and had the opportunity to ask her questions.

“Fara was so inspirational!” – Student from The Becket School

Fara Williams MBE, England Football legend, said: “When I was approached by E.ON about this opportunity, I was really excited. Why? Because this is about the future. It’s about empowering the next generation to lead the way in building a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable world. And when I look around this room, I see future leaders, future innovators, and future trailblazers who will drive that change.”

We want young people to become trailblazers, equipped to tackle the issues they care about, and our New Energy Academy aims to do just that. To help encourage their journey, we’re currently inviting schools to participate in an exciting competition to celebrate the sustainability trailblazers who inspire their students. The most inspiring entries will earn a day just like the students from The Becket School have experienced: a visit from Fara Williams MBE, paired with an engaging live green skills workshop delivered by our partner, Hark.

To explore the New Energy Academy and access a range of free curriculum-linked resources to develop essential skills and showcase inspiring careers in energy and sustainability, visit eonenergy.com/new-energy-academy.