‘Energizing’ Ballinlough’s future engineers: Gas Networks Ireland and Junior Achievement Ireland relaunch STEM Education programme

Gas Networks Ireland and Junior Achievement Ireland have relaunched  their ‘Energize’ Programme, featuring newly developed educational content designed to deepen students’ understanding of energy and sustainability. 

‘Energize’ aims to encourage students to continue studying science subjects through second level education and beyond by introducing them to the exciting world of STEM and the diverse career opportunities.

The relaunch, which took place during Science Week, introduces an exciting new chapter for the programme which has been delivered by Junior Achievement Ireland in partnership with Gas Networks Ireland to students across Ireland since 2018. The new content will introduce students to different types of energy, with a particular focus on renewable gas and how Gas Networks Ireland is transforming Ireland’s gas network for a cleaner more sustainable future.

As part of the relaunch, sixth class students from Our Lady of Lourdes National School in Ballinlough will be among the first to experience the new programme. During their visit to Gas Networks Ireland’s headquarters in Cork City, the students toured the company’s grid control  centre, where Ireland’s gas network is monitored in real time and our main stores, from which our field staff and operations teams are equipped. Students then took part in the updated workshop during which they focused on how organic waste breaks down and can be used to form energy and constructed windmills to help them understand renewables infrastructure. 

Commenting on the relaunch, Social Sustainability Manager at Gas Network Ireland, Grainne O’Reilly said:

 “We were excited to introduce the new and refreshed concepts within the Energize Programme to sixth class students from Our Lady of Lourdes National School at our Cork office. Through these updates to the ‘Energize’ programme, students will gain valuable insights into sustainability, the circular economy, and natural processes. Educating and inspiring our future workforce is something we are passionate about at Gas Networks Ireland. As we move towards a cleaner energy future for Ireland, our younger generations will play a vital role in shaping it.”

Gas Networks Ireland is an ambassador for the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications as part of the SDG Ireland Champions Programme. The ‘Energize’ programme supports progress towards Goal 4: Quality Education and Goal 12: Climate Action.