FUTURE
Investing in the future- Middlesbrough College skills development manager Becky Brown with CF’ s general manager Martin Liddle( left) and HR business partner Mark Hudson.
CF mechanical engineer Ruth McKinlay with pupils at Billingham South Primary School, where she runs an after-school club focused on STEM. other themes is mutually beneficial for all stakeholders. It helps hold everyone accountable, driving standards and improvements from the early years through to post-16 education, to raise the talent bar year-on-year.
Through this work CF aims to influence and ensure a seamless transition from the classroom into the workplace, to help new starters get off to the best possible start, including at CF.
Inspiration from the primary school years For all CF invests into collaborations with FE and HE establishments, it also recognises the impact of being able to inspire the youngest learners through STEM play and other age-appropriate learning.
At this young age it’ s about being a positive role model and making STEM learning fun, giving children someone to look up to like they would a sporting or musical hero.
Through its work with senior schools, the CF team can be more influential. They share relatable lived experiences and show pupils what different STEM careers looks like.
They can also be career sounding boards, revealing their journeys to CF and the skills, qualifications and competencies you need to thrive in pursuit of your passion for STEM.
Alongside the influence of family members, it’ s these interactions that can inspire a child and hopefully keep more of them in the STEM education pipeline and ultimately into the workplace.
The Inclusion Resource Group – a force for community good The Inclusion Resource Group( IRG) is CF’ s vehicle for the organisation to be a supportive member of the local community through its philanthropic activity.
With four priority areas – community, connection, culture and career – that all align to corporate goals, its work is delivered through dedicated subcommittees who are supported by colleagues from across the business.
It makes donations of up to £ 50,000 annually to local causes, charities and organisations including schools, and STEM education is one of four priority areas to benefit from this funding. What that support looks like varies from request to request, but if there’ s a clear link to STEM subjects and an obvious benefit to learners and the setting, it will be considered.
STEM stories
> The IRG funds all the resources for mechanical engineer Ruth McKinlay to deliver an ongoing STEM after-school club at Billingham South Primary School.
> STEM projects have been supported at other local primary schools including Bewley in Billingham.
> CF worked with DEFRA and the North East Combined Authority to deliver careers talks to Year 10 students at George Stephenson High School in Killingworth.
> Employees who are Teesside University alumni support current undergraduates.
> CF supports its own employees through the apprenticeship levy, such as shift supervisor Paul Chillmaid, who is currently studying for a Chemical Engineering degree which runs alongside a Science Industry Process and Plant Engineer Apprenticeship degree. By investing time and resource to nurture and inspire the workforce of the future, CF hopes to play its part in the ongoing prosperity of the chemical industry here on Teesside and the positive impact it has regionally, nationally and internationally.
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