Students from five colleges across the South East Midlands recently competed in front of sustainability experts to see whose idea for a sustainable future would come out on top.
The Green Future Challenge was hosted by Milton Keynes College at the South Central Institute of Technology. Milton Keynes College took part along with Moulton College, Northampton College, Cambridge Regional College and Barnfield College as part of the South East Midlands Inter College Competition (SEMICC) initiative. The group of colleges across the region come together for competitions in a range of curriculum areas, skill sets and topics to support students with developing their skills for the future.
The brief for the Green Future Challenge was for students to research and plan a solution to a local sustainability issue, and to then present it to the panel of experts – Stephen Frampton MBE, Founder of Sustainability Support for Further Education (SS4FE) and Paul Thompson, Employment and Skills Manager for South Midlands Authorities.
The teams presented their ideas on sustainability issues including disposable vapes, sustainable construction, using hair waste from hair salons to tackle oil spills and pollution, and over consumption of fast fashion. The judges chose the team from Milton Keynes College as the overall winners, for their idea on how to encourage recycling on campus and reduce the use of single use plastics with a rewards scheme inspired by the incredibly successful German “Pfand” (or deposit) system.
Giving his view on the presentations from the students, Paul Thompson said: “What impressed me was the quality of the content from the teams, the way they worked together and the level of organisation they showed.” Stephen Frampton MBE agreed, adding that: “For me, what stood out was how respectful the students were of each other, how inclusive their presentations were and the winning team’s approach of using humour to convey their message was great because it's not just about having a great idea, we need people to act on it”.
Stephen Frampton continued: “We're in a climate crisis, we need urgent action at pace and scale, and I think the winning presentation would have persuaded people to go away and do something engaging, that's for sure”.
Katherine Watkiss, a student from MK College and a member of the winning team, said that: “I had the idea for our entry into the competition late last year, about introducing a way that students could gain money from their recycling, because I had seen an absence of recycling and I'd sort of forgotten about it until this competition was mentioned. And when we put together our PowerPoint of our original ideas, me and Jonathan had the exact same idea and they matched up really well”.
Katherine’s teammate Jonathan McTeer added: “I wanted to take part in the competition because I want to make a change in the world. I believe that sustainability is a thing that should be accessible for everyone and our idea is a very good realisation of that”.
Reflecting on what they have learned from the competition, Jonathan said: “I’ve gained a lot of confidence in my presentation skills, which will stand me in good stead for my future career” while Katherine agreed: “Winning for our presentation has given me a massive confidence boost in my ability to do things like this.”
Lauren Gallyot, Sustainability Lead at Milton Keynes College, commented: “What a fantastic competition! We were so excited to host the Green Future Challenge here at Milton Keynes College this year, bringing together learners from five colleges across the region to present their ideas, showcase their hard work and share their thoughts on how we can tackle climate change and the complex and challenging issues it presents to us all”.
“The students’ presentations were all very impressive, demonstrating the huge amount of research they’d put into their ideas and the passion that they have for sustainability.”
“At the College Group, we’re committed to playing our part in tackling climate change and supporting our students with adapting to a more sustainable future. That’s why we’re proud of all of the learners for their commitment and dedication to this competition, and we look forward to hearing how they implement their ideas at their own colleges.”
The event was endorsed by WorldSkills UK, a four nation partnership between education, industry and UK governments to help raise standards in education and meet future skills demands.
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