Extreme E collaborates with EY Foundation to increase employability opportunities for young people

Over a two-week period in April, Extreme E supported the EY Foundation’s Sustainable Technology Futures programme, giving free-school-meal-eligible young people aged 16-18 the opportunity to develop skills and awareness of pathways into roles within sustainable technology environments.

Those involved took part in interactive employability skills workshops and gained paid work experience at the championship’s HQ in Hammersmith, London, which were designed to improve their business acumen.

A challenge was also set for the students to create a marketing campaign proposal, which centred on the championship’s ethos as a sport-for-purpose motorsport series with raising awareness of the climate crisis at its heart. Senior Extreme E staff played the role of ‘dragons’ judging the campaigns and projects of those young people who took part, as well as sharing details about their career journeys to date and their roles as part of the championship.

The championship’s involvement in the Sustainability Technology Futures initiative does not end there, with Extreme E providing mentors who will continue to meet programme participants monthly over a six-month period to help guide them with their next steps.

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.”

The EY Foundation is an independent UK charity, formed in 2014, who have supported over 20,000 young people who face significant barriers to employment.

With more than one in five young people in the UK – over two million – eligible for free school meals, and young people from low-income backgrounds being three times more likely to be unemployed by the age of 27, it’s more important than ever to be supporting young people into work.

Over the next decade, the EY Foundation aims to enable all young people on free school meals to have an employment and earnings potential that is equitable 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.”