Welsh Water’s education workshops inspire budding future scientists

• Hundreds of pupils across Wales received school workshops last week, giving them an insight in the work of Welsh Water employees.
• The events marked British Science Week – a ten-day long celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths.

To celebrate British Science Week 2022, the education team at Welsh Water – the first and still the only not-for-profit utility company in England and Wales – took to the road to inspire hundreds of pupils across its operational area. Recognising the importance of STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) within the industry, the company places inspiring all pupils to enjoy and engage in this area at the heart of its education strategy. 

Welsh Water’s teachers, who are annually seconded to the business, visited 12 school visits during the week – working with over 1,200 pupils on STEM- related topics. The sessions were aligned to four purposes that underpin the National Curriculum in Wales, and particularly focused on encouraging enterprising and ambitious young people. Through a series of presentations and engaging workshops, pupils received over 38 hours of educational delivery from the company, offering pupils a valuable opportunity for contextual learning.

The pupils worked in groups to apply their literacy and numeracy skills, as they responded to a challenge to plan, build and test a small-scale network of water supply pipes – using a bespoke set of equipment.

Welsh Water have a long-standing reputation for delivering a high-quality education provision – having worked with almost 600,000 pupils throughout the lifetime of its education strategy. The visits that took place during Science and Engineering week are one of many activities routinely carried out by the company, who are committed to educating, informing and inspiring younger generations about the value of water.  Its industry-unique approach of annually seconding teachers to deliver its education programme is another the company can add value to schools, which are at the heart of all communities.

Claire Roberts, Welsh Water’s Head of Community Engagement said: “The response from schools and pupils  to these sessions have been overwhelmingly positive.  As a company, we have a responsibility to support schools in the delivery of education.  Not only does this help customers of the future understand how they can help play their part in keeping our essential services going, but it also offers them a valuable insight into the breadth of career choice available within the industry.”

A teacher in Magor CiW Primary School near Caldicot said: “One of the best workshops that I have seen in over 20 years of teaching!”, whilst another teacher from Plasmarl Primary School in Swansea said: “Excellent Workshop. It was pitched perfectly and the children loved it!”

To find out more about Welsh Water’s education programme, please visit www.dwrcymru.com/education