“We place an even higher value on the ambassadors from REACT because they are over one-third of the actual company workforce - this is an unusually high number for an SME.” But he believed that in the long-term such involvement could pay dividends for a business. “One of the key aspects of the training the Ambassadors go through is to make them aware of the needs of schools and how they can contribute to the teaching and learning experiences for both teachers and pupils. “Businesses learn that by encouraging young people about particular subject areas such as engineering, science and technology they are helping to create the workforce of tomorrow. “And our experience has shown that the Ambassadors find the work rewarding as it’s a great way of making a positive difference and improving their ‘soft’ skills such as confidence building, presentational abilities and teamwork.”

REACT director Pete Woolaghan said he was heartened that so many of his staff were involved. “They all felt very strongly that they could make a contribution to engineering by volunteering to become Ambassadors,” he said.

SETNET’s Ambassadors attend a special induction course and go through the Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure process before they are accepted. Any schools interested in being visited by REACT’s ambassadors should contact Tony Gill on Tel: 01524 784334

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