Portgordon pupils powered up by STEM workshop

The interactive workshop, which was run by members of Vattenfall’s Aultmore Wind Farm team, engaged pupils in discussion about fossil fuels and the transition to renewables as well as the skills and job opportunities required to work in the renewables industry.

Pupils then learnt about developing an onshore wind farm and how a wind turbine worked before being split into teams and tasked with designing and constructing a model turbine to a specific set of criteria within a set budget.

Lucy Blake, Project Manager for Vattenfall’s proposed Aultmore Wind Farm, said: 

“It has been an absolute delight to hold this STEM workshop at Portgordon. All of the pupils demonstrated a real desire to learn and asked some fantastic questions which kept us on our toes. Impressively, all the teams managed to create rotating blades for their turbines - which was the most technical part of the challenge - so they should be very proud of themselves.

“They were also very surprised to learn about the wide variety of jobs available in the renewables industry – from engineers, turbine technicians and project managers to ecologists, wind analysts and communication experts. With the significant growth in the industry just now, including within Moray, it’s critical that we enthuse the younger generation and open their minds to some of the amazing opportunities available on their doorstep.”

Miss Sutherland, Teacher at Portgordon Primary School, commented:

“Vattenfall’s workshop was enjoyable and really engaged the pupils. Renewables is a key topic this term, so the timing of the workshop couldn’t be better and has provided a great foundation of knowledge on which to build. The pupils asked some great questions during the presentation and thought carefully about their turbine designs and budget. It’s encouraged them to develop new skills and work together as a team.”

Pringle George, Lennox Community Council, added:

“It’s great to see Vattenfall investing time and energy like this in our local schools. These sorts of workshops can be very valuable, particularly when educational resources and funding are so stretched, so it’s great to see their continued commitment to supporting our local area. Should their redesigned Aultmore Wind Farm get approved, it will be good to know that we’ve got a responsible developer working with us.”

Vattenfall has delivered a raft of similar workshops to Moray schools over the last year or so including Buckie High, Cullen Primary, Keith Grammar and Findochty Primary – all of which fall into the area associated with Vattenfall’s redesigned Aultmore Wind Farm proposal. The workshops, which have received consistently positive feedback from local schools, are designed to help develop team building, critical thinking, budgeting and time management skills in addition to core STEM capabilities.

Vattenfall has also made a commitment to support 50 onshore wind apprenticeships by 2030 from their project portfolio in Scotland, with up to 10 of these being associated with Vattenfall’s Aultmore Wind Farm proposal subject to planning consent.