Welsh students to experience Minecraft Education world and shape the future of offshore wind through new lesson plans

Pupils from Ysgol Pen Rhos in Llanelli are being introduced to the world of renewable energy and marine conservation thanks to the Minecraft Education world ‘Offshore Wind Power Challenge’ – a collaboration between The Crown Estate and Microsoft UK.

Available in Welsh and English, the Minecraft Education world helps pupils gain a deeper understanding of climate change and the natural environment, and encourages them to explore careers in engineering, sustainability, and conservation – all whilst planning and building their own offshore wind farm to power a coastal village!

And now, the Minecraft Education world ‘Offshore Wind Power Challenge’ has been given a boost with additional learning resources aimed at younger learners which align with the Welsh curriculum, and lesson plans for teachers to help them adopt the learning into their classrooms.

As part of their focus on developing skills to support the energy transition for students across Wales, The Crown Estate partnered with educational experts, Dosbarth, who created the new learning materials and are delivering taster lessons in schools across Wales, including to year 6 pupils at Ysgol Pen Rhos.

Renewable energy is a growing industry in Wales and a new generation of floating offshore windfarms is set to be established in the Celtic Sea through The Crown Estate’s current seabed leasing round. New floating offshore windfarms capable of generating up to 4.5GW of electricity – enough to power more than four million homes – could be developed, and independent research suggests that these projects could be worth up to £1.4bn to the UK economy and create 5,300 jobs. *

Rebecca Williams, Director of Devolved Nations at The Crown Estate, said:

“This is an exciting collaboration that brings new educational content to schools through the best-selling game of all time. This Minecraft Education world provides students and teachers with a fun way to explore the opportunities and challenges involved in delivering our energy transition whilst protecting and restoring our natural environment, through the languages that are most relevant to them. 

“The Crown Estate is committed to creating partnerships and bringing people together to make a positive impact. We hope this initiative will inspire young people to develop their skills and passion and introduce them to some of the green career opportunities in renewable energy.”

Karen Jones, Managing Director of Dosbarth, said:

“By creating new learning materials for younger audiences, which align to the Welsh curriculum and easily accessible lesson plans for busy teachers we think that these resources in both Welsh and English, will reach an even bigger audience of pupils across Wales, helping to inspire the next generation of thinkers, problem-solvers, and environmental leaders.”

Lee Waters MS, Member of the Senedd for Llanelli, said:

“This is a fantastic initiative that brings renewable energy, digital skills, and the Welsh language and curriculum together in an engaging and accessible way. The Offshore Wind Power Challenge will help inspire the next generation to explore careers in sustainability, engineering, and conservation—industries that will be vital to Wales’ future economy.”