Three decades of a bp education scheme, which has provided around 3,000 students with an opportunity to inspire north-east pupils, was recognised at the company’s North Sea headquarters last night.
The enduring success of the bp Student Tutoring scheme is thanks to the partnership between north-east higher education institutions; North East Scotland College (NESCol), Robert Gordon University (RGU) and the University of Aberdeen, the region’s two local authorities; Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council, supported by bp.
Every year the scheme places students from RGU, the University of Aberdeen, and NESCol into school classrooms, to act as role models to pupils, help raise aspirations, and motivate them to continue in education after school. It also helps students to develop problem-solving and communication skills and encourages them to consider a career in teaching.
This year, 70 student tutors were placed in almost 30 schools across the region.
Established in 1994, the bp Student Tutoring scheme, evolved from an earlier bp programme ‘Aiming for a College Education’ that focused on encouraging school pupils to stay on after compulsory schooling and aspire to further and higher education.
Shona Milne, Interim Chief Education Officer at Aberdeen City Council said: “Both Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council have strong connections with the region’s colleges, universities, and employers like bp, and schemes like this are an excellent way to work together to get the best experiences for our young people. Having students in schools allows pupils to speak to people with potentially different lived experiences and shows them that there are excellent education opportunities locally, so they don’t need to look further afield.”
Kathryn McKee, Head of UK Communications and Campaigns at bp said: “The scheme was originally created to help the region’s young people progress into further and higher education so they might benefit from the highly skilled job opportunities in the burgeoning energy industry. The fact that the scheme remains as relevant today as it was 30 years ago is a testament to its success.
“This year mark’s 60 years of bp in the North Sea and we are very proud of our long-standing investment in education here in Aberdeen and across the UK, and hope that the education partnerships we support continue to help talented young people take advantage of exciting career opportunities for many years to come.”
The bp Student Tutoring scheme runs annually and applications will open in October. Enrolled students at NESCol, RGU, and the University of Aberdeen should contact their institution for more information.