UK Skills has launched a new environment science challenge to raise the level of ...

UK Skills has launched a new environment science challenge to raise the level of awareness of environmental issues for young people. The competition is aimed at young people who have an interest in sustainable natural resource exploitation, sustainable energy production, environmental protection and climate change, and who want to gain skills and experience to progress in these areas of scientific research. Potential job roles in the challenge team are GIS expert, process operator, project manager, project engineer, research scientist, computer programmer and economist. Aimed at a foundation (pre-employment) level of knowledge, the live competition will deal with a wide range of energy sources, including nuclear, oil and gas, and renewables (wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal and biomass). The participants will be tasked with devising the ‘best’ combination of energy supply for a purpose-designed, generic island, for the next 30 years, considering all the information provided. They will have to produce a written ‘Island Energy Plan’ detailing energy supply to meet the population’s demand over this period. They will also be required to create a computer programme to aid their decision making. UK Skills has been working with Sector Skills Councils and trade unions (among other partners) to design and promote the competition. For more information, visit www.ukskills.org.uk