As part of the COP26 legacy programme led by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and Circular Glasgow, Austin-Smith:Lord have been selected to join Glasgow’s Climate Heroes network, supporting the Developing the Young Workforce programme to inspire young people to contribute to the future green economy.

Throughout the (Y)our City Centre District Regeneration Frameworks project for Glasgow City Council the project team engaged with young learners across city centre schools as part of community co-design activities to inform future plans for central Glasgow. Following up this activity Austin-Smith:Lord fulfilled additional community benefits / social value commitments and reinforced the relationship with St. Mungo’s Academy in the city’s inner East End.

In the past academic session, as part of the Climate Heroes / My Climate Path programme with St. Mungo’s, Austin-Smith:Lord delivered a series of 6 workshops for two cohorts of young learners as they developed creative ideas to repurpose and reinvigorate (Y)our High Street. We also arranged for six S4 pupils to visit the Architecture Department at University of Strathclyde, receiving a guided tour from senior tutors and getting an insight into University life. We were very grateful for the time and guidance provided by colleagues at the University, with whom A-S:L have a Knowledge Exchange agreement in place. As part of our ongoing commitment to promote the design professions and construction industry to young learners we also continue to support the University’s ‘Experience of Practice’ initiative for students.

In this academic session A-S:L are extending our engagement with St. Mungo’s Academy and the Climate Heroes campaign with a further series of workshops for most year groups including ‘Say Hello to Sustainable Architecture’ workshops, facilitating visits to our studio in central Glasgow, hosting work experience placements and hopefully a return visit to University of Strathclyde. We are also hoping to help young learners at St. Mungo’s by inviting them to consider creative ways in which to adapt their school campus and local area to address the climate emergency, developing skills in design and confidence in visual and verbal communication.

This week, as part of Scottish Careers Week, A-S:L are also participating in St. Mungo’s Academy Careers Fair, as well as giving a keynote presentation to the Climate Heroes Circular Networking Lunch on Friday 11 November. This follows on from A-S:L being invited by Glasgow Chamber of Commerce to participate in a recent roundtable discussion with senior Scottish Government civil servants considering ways to develop the skills and confidence of young learners to enable them to fulfil their potential and contribute to the creative and green economy. The session reflected on the positive impacts and lessons to learn from Glasgow’s progress towards achieving the ambition of 100% positive destinations for school leavers, and the success of programmes such as Developing the Young Workforce in schools, Step Up Glasgow, Digital Critical Friends (supported by Scotland IS), Glasgow’s #NoWrongPath campaign, the No One Left Behind strategy and the early stages of Climate Heroes.

Graham Ross, CEO at Austin-Smith:Lord said, “Our involvement in the Climate Heroes programme aligns with our own mission, vision and guiding principles. We’ve long been active advocates for sustainable design, highlighting the positive impact the design professions and construction industry must make to address the climate and biodiversity emergencies and championing life-long learning and knowledge sharing. The Climate Heroes programme neatly combines these agendas. It’s inspiring to work with young learners and encourage them to use their creativity and passion to influence their future and have a positive impact through their work.”