The Buoyed Up@Work programme, organised by the Sir Thomas Lipton Foundation charity, took place at the City of Glasgow College and welcomed primary 6 pupils from areas designated as having acute social and economic disadvantage.

The event aimed to expose and educate children to the diverse careers that exist in the shipping industry in a fun way and inspire them to achieve their full potential no matter what path they choose in life.

Each maritime company hosted a learning zone, where children could discover various seafaring skills and gain a basic understanding in how ships are built and operated when on the water.

Pupils were also shown how to build their own star wheel, allowing them to identify constellations in the sky at any given time, echoing the star navigation employed by sailors many years ago.

Reflecting on CMT’s long standing support to the Sir Thomas Lipton Foundation, Thomas Campbell General Manager, said: “Our support to The Sir Thomas Lipton Foundation extends back to 2016, when we first welcomed primary school children to our offices to discover and learn about the diverse and exciting world of maritime. 

“With the Sir Thomas Lipton Foundation, we share a common objective to broaden the younger generation’s understanding of the opportunities that exist for them in the shipping community, and we were very pleased to attend the Buoyed Up@Work programme, welcoming hundreds of school pupils to learn more about careers at sea.

Echoing those thoughts, Laurence Brady, Founder and Director of the Sir Thomas Lipton Foundation said: “I would like to offer a huge thanks to the companies and City of Glasgow College staff who came together to deliver a second maritime adventure to hundreds of the West of Scotland’s children who, statistically, have the biggest challenges as teenagers.

“Sadly, the very words ‘attainment gap’ suggest something permanent, a chasm that cannot be crossed and no solution can ever be found. We do not accept that and the goal of Buoyed Up@Work, and the wider efforts of the Foundation, is to do everything possible, inspired by Lipton and the sea, to prevent as many children as we can from sinking into teenage attainment poverty.

“Buoyed Up@Work is such a key element in communicating, demonstrating, and illustrating not just our key message for the children that it’s about sinking ‘can’t do’, but also one for us as well, sinking ‘won’t do’. Every young person deserves a fair opportunity.

“Buoyed Up@Work takes time, effort and resources of everyone involved. Thank you again.”

To find out more about The Sir Thomas Lipton Foundation and Buoyed Up@Work visit: www.sirthomasliptonfoundation.org

ENDS