Extra MSA recently welcomed Year 9 students from Mount St Mary’s School to its Leeds Skelton Lake services for an interactive insights day on the role of EV charging in the transition to Net Zero.
The programme, designed by ESG specialist Ahead Partnership, allowed students to meet senior representatives from Extra and the wider industry to understand the barriers and opportunities that EV charging presents.
They then participated in a design challenge focused on improving the customer experience for EV drivers at Motorway Service Areas (MSAs).
The young participants presented their findings to a panel of industry experts, and were also given the opportunity to network with them to find out more about the career opportunities offered by the sector.
Following the session, 93% of students felt confident explaining how the transport industry is innovating to become more environmentally sustainable, compared with just 16% beforehand. 96% of students also said that they understood what was meant by the term ‘net zero’, whereas only 16% had even heard of the term prior to the insights day.
Tom Dobson, CEO at Extra MSA, said:
“Through our work with Ahead Partnership, we are able to meaningfully engage with young people in the communities local to us, helping to inform and inspire them about the many opportunities that our industry presents to them.
“EV charging and the transition to greener, more sustainable modes of transport are key issues for us as a business, so it was great to engage with potential future leaders in the sector about how we can work to meet ongoing challenges such as meeting grid capacity and improving the customer experience.
Megan Lipp, Head of Growth at Ahead Partnership, said:
“This programme is a fantastic opportunity to bring young people into the conversation around sustainable transportation. We believe that engaging with young people around key issues such as the Net Zero agenda and EV charging can not only open them up to the range of opportunities that these sectors offer, but can also allow industry leaders to tap into their creative and innovative ideas.“
Image from Extra MSA
