E.ON UK and Veloce launch star-studded classroom resource to build green‑skills confidence and meet curriculum reform

This National Careers Week (2–7 March), E.ON UK has partnered with motorsport innovators Veloce to launch Building your potential, a free, ready‑to‑use classroom resource that uses the lens of sport to bring students real stories from athletes and engineers working at the forefront of cutting edge innovation, helping the see the skills and mindsets that drive future green-economy careers.

The curriculum‑aligned content is free for KS4–KS5 teachers to deliver education on green‑skills and careers for students age 14-18 years.

The new activity forms part of E.ON’s New Energy Academy, a national programme supporting secondary schools to strengthen energy literacy and real green skills development.

The resource supports the wider curriculum review, which calls for clearer alignment between classroom learning and the skills, industries and opportunities shaping the UK’s future economy. Recent reforms emphasise more real‑world learning, greater exposure to employers, and stronger links between subjects, skills and modern careers – particularly in fast‑growing areas such as clean energy and green technology.

Building your potential responds directly to these changes by giving students authentic encounters with engineers and industry professionals, opportunities to hear directly from clean‑energy specialists and degree apprentices, and curriculum‑linked activities that build the skills, mindsets and confidence needed for future pathways. The resource is fully aligned with the updated Gatsby Benchmarks, offering employee encounters (GB5), real insight into technical and apprenticeship routes (GB7), and curriculum-embedded PSHE and careers content in a real-world context (GB2, GB3, GB4). It also reflects national expectations for careers education by showcasing the skills pipelines essential to the UK’s clean energy transition, highlighting engineering, digital and resilience competencies, and offering diverse role models who bring green‑economy careers to life for students.

Helen Bradbury, Chief People Officer at E.ON UK said: “We’re proud to provide teachers with practical, curriculum-aligned resources that not only support the latest careers guidance, but actively build ambition.

Through our partnership with Veloce, we have strengthened the New Energy Academy offering by launching Building Your Potential. The new resources bring green skills to life: making them real, relatable and achievable. By connecting students with inspiring athletes and industry role models, we’re helping them see the opportunities open to them in the UK’s growing green economy."

Making green skills real and relatable for young people this National Careers Week

Building your potential brings students face‑to‑face with elite performers and energy industry role models whose stories show how resilience, adaptability, teamwork and curiosity translate across sport, engineering and future clean‑energy careers.

The resource features:

• Racing drivers Kevin Hansen, Charlie Martin and Chloe Grant
• Team GB rugby player Heather Cowell
• Head Coach of Nottingham Forest Netball, Chelsea Pitman
• England’s Blind Squad football players, Efe Shimwell, Rory Turnham, Lucja Wyrwantowicz and Megan Smithson‑Booth
• Motorsport creators and presenters Steph Wentworth, Max Fewtrell and Skye Upshall

Through short, high‑energy video clips, students explore how to overcome setbacks, stay calm under pressure, seek inspiration from others and push beyond their comfort zones.

Teachers receive ready‑to‑use guidance, flexible delivery formats and curriculum links for PSHE, assemblies and form time - with each activity designed to be delivered in 10–15 minutes.

Connecting sport, engineering and the future of green jobs

Alongside the athletes, the resource brings in powerful industry perspectives from:

• Ami – Motorsport Engineer, reflecting on hands‑on learning and breaking barriers in STEM
• Alice – Electro‑Mechanical Engineering Degree Apprentice at E.ON, sharing her journey combining study with real‑world engineering experience

Their stories take students behind the scenes at E.ON’s Net Zero Training Academy, showing the practical skills needed for roles in heat pumps, retrofit, EV charging, smart systems and other rapidly growing green‑economy pathways.

Proven impact on aspiration and awareness

Schools engaging with the New Energy Academy report significant benefits. Following use of the resources, 58% of students said they could now see themselves working in the energy sector*, many developed a stronger understanding of sustainability careers, and some reported being more likely to choose STEM subjects. Teachers describe the programme as “transformative”, “confidence‑building” and “a spark for future ambition.”

E.ON has already experienced an uptake in interest for early career opportunities, recently revealing a 500% increase in interest for its apprenticeship programmes since 2023.

Why this matters now

The UK’s transition to a clean, secure energy future depends on developing a skilled workforce - and that starts with schools. Students need accessible, inspiring routes into the careers that will define the next decade. Teachers need credible resources that align with new expectations but don’t add strain.

E.ON’s New Energy Academy offers a practical, free and future‑focused way to close the green‑skills gap while supporting schools through upcoming Gatsby reforms.

All resources, including the new Building your potential activity, are available at: eonenergy.com/new-energy-academy.

Additional National Careers Week content is also available - including Getting your dream job, a set of short, ready‑to‑use videos and discussion activities helping students learn how to apply for jobs and prepare for interviews.