SES strengthens partnership with Nova Education Trust to support the next generation of engineers
We’re proud to be strengthening our partnership with the Nova Education Trust through sponsorship of the Trust’s annual Transformational Awards for the second year running.
The awards, established to shine a light on the dedication and achievements that often go unseen, celebrate the students, staff, schools, governors and partners making an exceptional contribution to education and transforming young people’s lives across the East Midlands.
The partnership reflects the shared commitment of SES and the Nova Education Trust to creating opportunities, improving life chances and strengthening local communities. The Trust supports more than 13,000 pupils and 1,500 staff across its family of schools, helping to create aspirational and inclusive learning environments for young people across the region.
The sponsorship forms part of our wider commitment to supporting education, employability and social mobility across the UK. Through our work with Nova, we have already engaged with 10 students at a school within the Trust, creating opportunities to develop employability skills, industry awareness and career aspirations. We plan to build on this early next year, working to extend the reach and impact of the partnership.
As part of our Social Value strategy, SES works to tackle inequality through targeted programmes that support young people furthest from opportunity. This includes the FOCUS Programme, our flagship initiative designed to address the UK’s growing NEET challenge by helping young people build confidence, resilience and aspirations for the future.
The programme was successfully delivered at The Herewoode Academy, part of Nova Education Trust, where participating students demonstrated improvements in attendance, behaviour, communication skills, confidence, relationships with adults and future aspirations. The initiative was delivered in collaboration with Wates Construction, whose team supported programme sessions and hosted the final workshop at the HMP Welland Oaks project.
Since launching at The Herewoode Academy, the FOCUS Programme has supported 15 students identified as being at risk of becoming NEET, with 15 colleagues delivering a combined total of 50 hours of engagement focused on confidence building, career awareness and personal development. Following participation in the programme students reported increased confidence in their future education and career pathways, have built stronger and more positive relationships with adults and have improved attitudes toward learning.
The partnership is particularly significant as we continue to deliver major projects across the East Midlands, including its work on HMP Welland Oaks, enabling the business to create lasting social value alongside project delivery through targeted education and community initiatives.
Our work with Nova Education Trust is helping us create meaningful opportunities for young people, supporting them to develop skills, confidence and aspirations for the future. Through these partnerships, we can work directly with schools to deliver positive outcomes that make a lasting difference.”
Sam Johnson
Head of Social Value, SES
This year, SES is proud to be joint headline partner of the awards alongside Retinue, with the awards set to be held on 23 November at the East Midlands Conference Centre.
As part of the sponsorship, SES will present two of the most coveted awards of the evening: Primary Transformational School of the Year and Secondary Transformational School of the Year. These two awards recognise schools that have made outstanding progress, demonstrating a real commitment to raising standards, broadening opportunities and making a lasting difference to their pupils and wider communities.
Alison Ingram, Director of Engagement at Nova Education Trust, said:
“We are proud to have SES supporting our Transformational Awards for a second year. The progress our students at The Herewoode Academy made through the FOCUS Programme, in their confidence, their relationships with adults and their ambitions for the future, shows what can be achieved when schools and industry work together.
“The East Midlands has not always received the same level of investment as other regions, so for our young people, having businesses like SES commit to their futures makes a genuine and lasting difference.”
As a leading engineering and technology business, we are committed to creating positive impact beyond the projects we deliver. Our partnership with Nova Education Trust enables us to support future talent, strengthen community connections and help inspire the next generation.”
Dr Jonathan Sims
Business Performance Director, SES