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Newport Partnership Aims to Inspire Local Female Pupils

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Wales & West Utilities ongoing partnership with The John Frost School is aiming to inspire students, as colleagues from the gas emergency and pipeline service delivered a careers event specifically designed for female pupils.

Colleagues from the company’s newly launched Women’s Inclusion Network spoke to more than thirty year 9 pupils with the aim of raising awareness of the diverse career paths available locally and within the energy sector, whilst encouraging young females to challenge stereotypes.

Through its relationship with Careers Wales, Wales & West Utilities has been a partner of The John Frost School since 2014, and this latest event builds on previous activity including careers advice, support with interview and job applications, as well as exploring climate change and the important role of decarbonisation.

At the event Capex & Investments Manager, Iffut Mohammed and Careers Development Manager, Rachel Jones spoke about their skills and values which helped them navigate their own journeys into their relevant roles, whilst also speaking about how they’ve overcome particular stereotypes.

Iffut Mohammed, Capex & Investments Manager at Wales & West Utilities, said:

We were delighted to build on our relationship with the school and this female-specific event was a fantastic opportunity to talk directly to local pupils about their hopes for the future and how they can play their part in challenging stereotypes.

We know that when people think about a career in the gas industry, people typically think the only jobs are male dominated engineering-led roles. This event was a great way to open minds about the breadth of jobs that are available.

Louise Ogilvie, Year 9 Progress Co-ordinator at The John Frost School, commented:

It was great to hear first-hand from Wales & West Utilities colleagues who talked openly about their own journeys into the world of work.

Our year 9 pupils were all very open, and the event prompted a detailed discussion. We will now build on this in future lessons and hope that our pupils will be inspired knowing that their dreams are there for the taking.

Wales & West Utilities Women’s Inclusion Network launched last month and will connect colleagues from across the business on a professional and personal level to share life experiences and gain advice and support. It seeks to improve gender balance across Wales & West Utilities, while inspiring more women to pursue a career in the gas industry.

Wales & West Utilities, the gas emergency and pipeline service, brings energy to 7.5m people across the south west of England and Wales. If you smell gas, or suspect the presence of carbon monoxide, call us on 0800 111 999 straight away, and our engineers will be there to help any time of day or night. Before visiting, we'll ask you to let us know if you or anyone in your household, is experiencing Coronavirus symptoms or self-isolating. We'll still come and help you: but our teams will take some additional precautions to keep us all safe.

Contact Information – Nicola Jenkins
[email protected]

Business News Wales