Opportunities for all through Severn Trent programmes Supporting the Government’s Kickstart Scheme As youth unemployment reaches alarming levels, we’re offering hundreds of placements in all parts of our organisation. Launched at the end of 2020, Kickstart is a Government initiative aiming to put 16 to 24-year-olds who are currently on Universal Credit, and unemployed, into six-month work placements. As well as gaining meaningful work experience, Kickstarters spend a proportion of their time learning employability skills, preparing them for the world of work or at least improving their chances when job hunting. Kickstarters Tia McNicholas joined the Kickstarter programme at Severn Trent in January 2021, in the water regulations and fittings team. Then when a permanent role became available in April, Tia applied and was successful. Tia said: “I’m really excited to continue to grow in my role. I’ve loved the challenge of a new job and being part of a company like Severn Trent. There’s been great support, and I’ve learned so many new skills. Joining the Kickstarter programme definitely helped me be successful in gaining the role.” Ian Mitchell, team leader, added: “This is a great example of how we can harness the skills and talent of young people who had not initially considered a future in the water industry.” Careers guidance We recognise the impact positive, meaningful interactions with employers and careers guidance can have on the prospects of our younger generation, and believe we need much stronger relationships between schools, colleges and employers. Working with the Careers and Enterprise Company, we’ve designed and delivered virtual work experience and employability skills toolkits for over 3,000 students across our region. Practical training for other water companies We want to bring our industry together, building networks and exchanging knowledge. And with the growth of virtual learning, we can offer courses to water companies anywhere. Teaching children about water We offer schools free 30-minute lessons on three subjects – using water wisely, learning about what not to flush, and health and hydration – for Key Stage Two, which is seven- to eleven-year-olds. Due to the pandemic, we weren’t able to visit schools as we normally would. In response, initially we created weekly activity packs as part of our Kidszone, offering over 60 activities children can enjoy at home or at school. But by the end of April 2020, we were able to launch our brand new online learning platform, ‘Molly and the journey of water’, and have since developed a livestream education session which closely mirrors our usual in-school, face-to-face presentation. We’re able to offer our livestream sessions directly to schools and for children working at home, and the response and feedback from children, parents and teachers has been encouraging. Despite the challenges of lockdown we have managed to educate over 40,000 customers, ahead of our target. When we can get back into school visits, we’ll be able to return to including practical skills like mending pipes as part of trying to inspire STEM skills and careers for females. We’ve also adapted our whole programme for children with vulnerabilities, such as autism, learning difficulties or physical disabilities, so they can participate fully in any of our lessons. The Andy Duff Bursary – supporting further education 500 young people supported through the Governments Kickstart Scheme At Severn Trent, we’ve committed to hosting 500 Kickstarters over the course of the year, putting them into all sorts of roles across the business – in operational and customer-facing teams, and support functions such as technology, HR, finance and engineering. As well as learning on the job, they’ll spend four hours a week developing employability skills through our new Academy training facility – significantly more than the scheme requires. Our Academy sessions for Kickstarters can be virtual or face-to-face, covering topics such as personal impact and effectiveness, leadership, and technology skills. We have also developed a Kick-on phase, as their placements with us come to an end. This looks at their CVs and interview skills, helping them get ready for their first job, wherever that may be. How we’re helping people onto the jobs ladder Through a number of initiatives, we’re creating opportunities for people from various walks of life to gain practical work experience and develop the skills they need for the world of work. Opening our Academy to the community Our new Academy located in Coventry opened in February 2021 (see feature). This gives us the opportunity to build on our social purpose, by offering to help build employability skills within our community. For example, we’ll continue to develop our WaterMark scheme, that offers Severn Trent certification to approved plumbers. We’ve already had large attendances for virtual training events, such as one recently for women interested in taking up operational roles. We can also extend to other companies within our sector, especially the smaller companies, and have already run training for front-line operatives of other companies. Our digital education livestreams in action Educating, INspiring and connecting WITH communities Educating, INspiring and connecting WITH communities Educating, INspiring and connecting WITH communities Educating, INspiring and connecting WITH communities Educating, INspiring and connecting WITH communities Supporting the region A boost for employability Water wisdom for all Fun and Commonwealth Games Read more online Molly and Journey of Water The Andy Duff Bursary – supporting further education This year, we launched our Andy Duff Bursary, initiated by, and named after, our former Chair. It will sponsor twenty-five students through their further education courses over the coming five years. Working with the Social Mobility Foundation, we identified suitable candidates and have welcomed five this year. They all receive a financial bursary for each year of their studies, to support them with things like buying text books and equipment, or accommodation and travel expenses. In addition to the traditional bursary model, we are offering the students mentors and career coaches, paid work experience during the summer break, and free access to courses at our Academy. Water wisdom for all In December 2020 we introduced a new Secondary Education Team who will focus on Key Stage Three children and above, as well as students and community groups, specifically dealing with preventing blockages. We’re also talking to Sainsbury’s about working together to improve in-store messages about disposal of wet wipes. Fun and Commonwealth Games From April 2021, our yearly education programme will focus on water efficiency and, through our partnership with the Commonwealth Games, we’ll also promote health and wellbeing. The Games will give us a great opportunity to enhance our education offer with prizes and competitions.