Cornerstone Employers are playing a pivotal role in translating Cornwall’s clean energy growth ambitions

Employers in Cornwall are helping bring the region’s growth ambitions to life through practical, high-quality careers education for young people. Renewable and clean energy employers across emerging sectors such as geothermal energy, solar power and floating offshore wind are creating new local opportunities, but many students need clearer information about the roles, skills and pathways available to them.

Cornwall Careers Hub have facilitated employer-led engagement; employers such as GEL Energy, Naked Solar and Celtic Sea Power are helping schools, colleges and universities connect curriculum learning to real workplaces, live industry projects and future workforce needs. Their work demonstrates the value of employers as strategic partners in careers education: not simply attending events but helping shape young people’s understanding of clean energy careers, raise aspiration and build a more visible local talent pipeline.

The employer-led engagement demonstrates how careers education becomes more powerful when employers provide authentic insight into their sectors, work closely with education providers to co-design activity to the age, curriculum and interests of learners. GEL Energy’s Community Engagement & Education team provides a strong example of this approach, working with schools and colleges to create experiences that are relevant to the topics students are studying while also opening their eyes to the geothermal industry in Cornwall.

GEL’s activity ranges from assembly talks and “I Love My Job” sessions to individual year group or class workshops, curriculum-linked visits to the United Downs visitor centre and bespoke talks connected to geothermal development. Its mobile exhibition facilities help bring the sector into education settings from primary school through to higher education, giving young people progressive encounters with clean energy careers.

The programme also illustrates how employer engagement can broaden perceptions of who clean energy is for. GEL Energy makes a complex emerging industry tangible by showing that geothermal development depends on a wide range of roles, including engineering, science, environmental planning, operations, communications, business support and community engagement

Naked Solar has developed practical training through its Planet Maintenance Academy, to supports apprenticeships and has provided opportunities for individuals with SEND through supported internships. This demonstrates how employers can connect inspiration to tangible next steps, helping young people see how careers education links to training, skills development and future employment.

Celtic Sea Power highlights how employers are helping to build the future technical workforce. Its STEM into schools activity supports secondary education, while its bespoke work experience offer, FLOWmark accreditation and No Two Paths app help strengthen the link between education, industry-recognised skills and emerging opportunities in offshore wind and the wider clean energy economy.

Collectively, these Cornerstone Employers show the critical role business can play in a modern careers education system. They provide labour market insight, build confidence among educators, support young people to understand workplace expectations and make local growth sectors visible and accessible. The Careers Hub’s role is central in brokering these relationships, aligning employer activity with school and college priorities and ensuring that encounters are meaningful and progressive.

For young people, the value lies in seeing a clear line between what they are learning now and the opportunities that could be available in the future. For employers, the value lies in building awareness, addressing misconceptions, widening participation and contributing directly to the development of a diverse local talent pipeline. For schools and colleges, employer engagement provides relevant, place-based examples that bring careers education and the curriculum to life.