The achievements of 87 Glasgow school pupils have been celebrated at a ceremony where they were presented with bronze awards for participating in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards.

The young people aged 16 to 18 all achieved their bronze award with support from ScottishPower. The energy company encourages young people from all walks of life to participate in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards to develop their life skills and improve their employment opportunities.

The event, which was held at the City Chambers, also celebrated the achievements of 24 volunteers who made it possible for the pupils to take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s awards.

ScottishPower is dedicated to helping the next generation develop the necessary skills to succeed in the future.

Ann Loughrey, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at ScottishPower, said: “ScottishPower is committed to investing in young people with the aim of having a lasting impact on their behaviour, skills and life chances.

“It is fantastic to see so many young people benefiting from our support of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards. Many of these pupils are not in mainstream education so it is a great achievement for them to successfully complete their Bronze award and we hope it is an experience they will be able to draw on for a long time to come.”

Councillor Sadie Docherty, Children and Families PDC chair, said: "I'm delighted to meet this group of youngsters, present them with their awards and congratulate them on their achievements.
 
"They are an inspiration to us all and they should be very proud of the new skills and friendships they have developed over the last year.  I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Scottish Power for their support and commitment to this project.

"My hope is that this successful partnership will continue and we will see more and more young people in our schools embracing the Duke of Edinburgh initiative over the next few years."

Barry Fisher, Director of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Scotland, said: “I am delighted to see The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award having a real impact in Glasgow and I congratulate these young people on their success.

”With competition for jobs and further education so high, the DofE is providing a real alternative for young people, and participation in Scotland has gone up by 20% in a year with more than 25,000 young people now doing their DofE programmes.

”Our unique partnership with ScottishPower is making a big difference, with 10 new centres delivering the DofE in Glasgow. Young people who wouldn’t have had the chance before are not only starting but completing their Awards, and we know that the DofE helps to develop the skills young people need to get into work.”

For further information on The Duke of Edinburgh Award, please visit http://www.dofe.org/

Issued by The BIG Partnership on behalf of ScottishPower.

For further media information, please contact Kay McCarthy or Jennifer Hood on 0141 333 9585 / kay.mccarthy@bigpartnership.co.uk / jennifer.hood@bigpartnership.co.uk

Notes to Editors

ScottishPower

• ScottishPower provides employability training for young, disadvantaged people in our local communities through programmes in three distinct areas – school, community and work based.
• Since 1996, their community programmes have helped over 18,500 young people. The positive, long term impact of ScottishPower work was recognised in July 2007 with a Silver Jubilee Award from Business in the Community, as well as several Big Ticks across its range of programmes.
• The energy giant supports the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards with a sizeable six figure sum and by working to support an increase in vocational opportunities through DofE programmes.
• Over the course of the relationship, ScottishPower is the key national partner of the DofE. The utility company encourages young people from all walks of life to take part in The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programmes and succeed, regardless of any barriers. The company aims to have a lasting impact on young people’s behaviour, skills and life chances.

Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards

Employability
Research shows that employers value the DofE when they are recruiting as the most important achievement after academic qualifications, and that the DofE has a significant impact on young people’s employability.

A survey of major employers, commissioned by the United Learning Trust, found that a Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is valued more than work experience when selecting employees.

A two year study undertaken by The Centre for Children and Youth at the University of Northampton, researching the impact of the DofE between 2007-09, found that:

95% of leaders say the DofE develops responsibility and decision-making skills, 93% think that the DofE develops leadership and teamwork skills in young people and 92% of leaders say the DofE develops the ability to stick at tasks.