BAE Systems has strengthened its partnership with Jon Egging Trust (JET) by pledging £180,000 to the youth charity over the next three years.
A STEM outreach day was held on 17 October to mark a new phase of BAE Systems’ long-standing support for JET.
BAE Systems has worked with JET to run STEM activities for almost a decade, with employees volunteering on programmes to support young people who face barriers to learning, helping them build confidence, develop employability skills and re-engage with education.
In this new chapter of their partnership, JET will receive £180,000 from BAE Systems over the next three years, helping it to deliver its programmes in North Wales and Lincolnshire, building on a £50,000 donation provided in 2021.
The STEM outreach day was held at RAF Valley, where teams from JET and BAE Systems were joined by RAF personnel to deliver engaging activities to local year 9 students.
The students took part in interactive workshops and challenges including a ‘Roving Robots Quest’, Lego coding, a planetarium show and the Mach Loop Challenge, which saw them fly a virtual Typhoon through the RAF’s low-level flying training area in Wales in a race against time. Each activity was aimed at building teamwork, leadership and communication skills and highlighting career opportunities linked to aviation and aerospace. These themes are central to JET’s long-term Blue Skies programme, which provides early intervention for young people at risk of falling out of education due to life challenges.
Sir Stuart Atha, Director of Training Strategy, BAE Systems Air, and JET Patron, said: “BAE Systems and JET share an ambition to open young people’s eyes to the world of possibilities a STEM career can offer and we invest heavily in our local communities to support young people’s education. The students’ enthusiasm during this outreach day shows how worthwhile our investment is and we’re proud to take this even further by increasing our support for JET’s fantastic Blue Skies programme. Working together, we look forward to helping many more young people realise their potential.”
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