LONDON (April. 06, 2022) — A group of students from Our Lady & St Bede Catholic Academy in Stockton-on-Tees presented their winning idea for tackling climate change at a special ceremony last week, when they collected their trophies for winning the prestigious Tees Valley Careers Big Big Project challenge.

The students were mentored by a team from the world’s trusted infrastructure consultancy firm AECOM throughout the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) challenge and representatives from the company presented the team with their trophies at the event. The team of mentors included two architectural students from the University of Westminster, and the project served as a way of introducing the London-based students to the significant regeneration projects that are underway in the Tees-Valley area.

The team’s winning idea was for a living garden in Stockton town centre, designed to improve air quality in urbanised industrial areas. Up against teams from across the Tees-Valley Combined Authority area, the competition incorporated three ‘knock-out’ rounds over six months.

Inspired by the prestigious Earthshot Prize, the schools were tasked with finding solutions to repair the planet by 2030. The year eight students from Our Lady & St Bede Catholic Academy in Stockton-on-Tees were announced the winners last year but COVID restrictions meant they couldn’t celebrate their win together until the event last week.

The Big Big Challenge is designed to boost relationships between school pupils and would-be employers. AECOM is working on a number of projects in the Tees-Valley Area, including Net Zero Teesside (NZT), which will be the UK’s first commercial scale, full chain carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) project.

Steve Hunt, Project Director, AECOM, said: “We have been working with Our Lady & St Bede Catholic Academy since 2018 through our involvement in the Tees-Valley Combined Authority Careers Local Enterprise Adviser initiative. Working with the children and teachers on their Big Big Project challenge has been very rewarding, and our team has been really impressed by the students and the professional way they presented their winning idea. Initiatives like this are an important way to capture the imagination of young people and show them there are great opportunities for STEM careers on their doorstep.”

Steven York, Head of Careers, Our Lady & St Bede Catholic Academy, said: “Working with AECOM on our Big Big Project presentations has really benefitted our pupils. Steve Hunt and Jay Anable mentored our pupils in an extremely supportive and professional manner, encouraging them to strive for excellence and gave them a real insight into the world of work. As a result of this project, some of our Big Big Project team members are now seriously considering a STEM based career in the future.”

The ceremony was attended by students, teachers, parents, and representatives from the Tees-Valley Combined Authority, who organised the competition.