The sport-for-purpose electric racing series, Extreme E has announced a partnership with the independent charity firm, EY Foundation.
A collaboration has been formed in an intriguing effort to equip young people with paid employability training, work experience, and mentorship.
During the course of two weeks in April, Extreme E provided assistance to the EY Foundation’s Sustainable Technology Futures project, offering free-school-meal-eligible young people aged 16–18 the chance to acquire skills and become aware of paths into careers in sustainable technology environments.
Those who attended interactive employability skills courses received paid job experience at the championship’s headquarters in Hammersmith, London, which improved their business acumen.
The students were given the task of developing a marketing campaign concept based on the championship’s ethos as a sport-for-purpose racing series with a focus on raising awareness of climate catastrophe. Senior Extreme E workers served as ‘dragons’, assessing the campaigns and initiatives of the young people who participated and presented information about their professional travels and responsibilities in the championship.
The championship’s commitment to the Sustainability Technology Futures project does not end there; Extreme E will provide mentors who will meet with programme participants monthly for the following six months to help guide them through their next stages.
Ali Russell, Managing Director of Extreme E, said, “As a championship which is constantly looking ahead to the future, it was great to collaborate with the EY Foundation to support the next generation of talent coming through as a result of the Sustainability Technology Futures programme. The views and perspectives of young people looking to launch their careers cannot be underestimated, especially when it comes to sustainability, technology, equality, diversity and inclusion.
“There were some fascinating discussions taking place regarding the direction of so many of these key pillars, and it was great to see plenty of ideas and talking points come to the fore during the programme. We’re really excited to be involved in the next stage of their career developments, and support the EY Foundation to create opportunities for young people in the sustainable technology industry.”
Since its founding in 2014, the independent UK charity has helped over 20,000 young people who encounter major obstacles in their quest for work.
With more than one in every five young people in the United Kingdom – over two million – entitled to free school meals, and young people from low-income families three times more likely to be jobless by the age of 27, it is more essential than ever before to help young people in finding work.
Over the next decade, the EY Foundation wants to ensure that all young people receiving free school meals have job and earnings opportunities that are comparable to other young people in the UK.
Lynne Peabody, CEO of EY Foundation, said, “Working with Extreme E to deliver our Sustainability Technology Futures programme has been such a brilliant experience. Together we have supported 17 young people from low-income backgrounds to develop their employability skills and gain paid work experience in an exciting and innovative organisation at the cutting edge of sustainable technology. I want to say a huge thank you to Extreme E and their volunteers who supported on the programme. It has been great to give young people the chance to witness first-hand the emerging job opportunities in such a fast-emerging sector of the economy.
“If we’re going to tackle some of society’s biggest challenges, like climate change, then we need diversity of thought and creativity. To do this we need to inspire the next generation of engineers and tech developers from all backgrounds. Our partnership with Extreme E is a great example of how we can do this.”