One of the better things to come out of 2020 was that the GFG Foundation, in partnership with the CSIRO and The Prince’s Trust, was able to play a role in supporting and mentoring another group of Year 9 and 10 students, helping them develop confidence in and a passion for a future in technology, engineering, maths, and science.

Last Tuesday, participants of the 2020 GFG Foundation’s Student Program ended the year on a high after showcasing their projects at a graduation event at the Westlands Hotel Motel.

The program gives the students the opportunity to learn about the world of STEM and how it relates to business and industry in their own community.  In just it’s second year, the program was able to increase its intake of participants from the Whyalla region following a hugely successful pilot last year. The way it works is that the CSIRO runs the STEM component as part of their Achieve Program, the life skills elements are run by the Prince’s Trust, and we contribute mentors from different parts of Whyalla operations team who spend time with the kids and share their own life experiences.

GFG Foundation Director, and Regional President (Australia and USA) and CEO of Infrabuild, Dak Patel, congratulated this year’s participants on another successful year, which saw some outstanding projects delivered, saying, “GFG is a proud member of the Whyalla community and we believe it is critical for young people to learn about the industries operating in their community and foster their ideas. I’d like to thank our partners, CSIRO and The Prince’s Trust, for their support of the program and for sharing our vision. To have increased the intake this year shows how much the students enjoy being part of the program and we look forward to welcoming a new cohort next year.”

After two successful years at Whyalla, the Foundation is also looking to expand its footprint to provide more students with an opportunity to learn about the industries operating in their local communities.

You can check out two of this year’s students – James and Nicholas – talking about their experience with the program:

For more information about the GFG Foundation, please visit https://www.gfgfoundation.org.au

A huge thanks to everyone who supported the program – especially our incredible mentors! Thanks for helping inspire the next gen of our industry!