Students from two local Rotherham schools celebrated their achievements at a ceremony at Sheffield Hallam University on 27 June, after they completed an educational programme that develops their skills for the growing green jobs market – the first of its kind in Rotherham. The programme was launched in March this year by GFG Foundation, which focuses on the educational needs of young people in industrial communities.

20 students from Wath Academy and St. Bernard’s Catholic School are the first in the UK to graduate from the 14-week programme pilot, which focused on sustainability and is designed to benefit the local community. At the ceremony, the students presented a project called ‘A Renewable Rotherham’, which they have worked on with mentors from LIBERTY Steel’s Rotherham site, in collaboration with partners Engineering Development Trust.

All students received an industry-accredited Industrial Cadet Award, with a small number of students selected by mentors as excelling throughout the programme receiving an ‘Outstanding Achievement Awards’.

Claire Neilson, Manager of the GFG Foundation in the UK, said: “Today marks a very special day and an opportunity to celebrate the next generation of bright minds in Rotherham. When we launched the programme in March, we saw great development potential in the students and their appetite to learn about sustainability and core life skills. Their growth and performance have exceeded our expectations, supported by the dedication of the workplace mentors from LIBERTY Steel Rotherham. We look forward to using insights from this pilot to improve the programme even further and bring this opportunity to more young people.”