National Grid and Connectr’s Partnership scoops Utility Week Award
The LPT team is delighted to announce that its school engagement program, conducted in partnership with Connectr, has won Utility Week’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Initiative of the Year award.
This prestigious annual ESG award applauds utilities that exceed their regulatory criteria and demonstrate a strong commitment to stewardship and engagement for the communities in which they operate.
Since 2020, National Grid has collaborated with social enterprise, Connectr as part of the London Power Tunnels project, a £1 billion initiative to rewire South London with 32.5 km of deep underground tunnels.
The £1.8 engagement program seeks to address social mobility challenges, combats STEM skills shortages, and creates opportunities for students from underrepresented communities in South London.
The initiative involves partnering with schools in each borough to offer STEM workshops for students across Key Stages 3, 4, and 5. The program also includes career talks, insights, and work experience opportunities, with dedicated sessions to promote gender diversity.
In its fourth year, the initiative not only surpassed its target for the fourth consecutive year but also achieved a remarkable 33,112 student interactions. This milestone brings the total number of student interactions to nearly 130,000 since the program’s inception, well ahead of the initial 5-year target of 100,000.
As the project commences its fifth and final year, the partnership will continue to support students across South London in 2025, with plans to deepen engagement with National Grid's Early Careers division to provide even more work experience opportunities.
