HELENSBURGH pupils are preparing to take on some of Scottish industry’s biggest sustainability challenges, as they participate in the Powering Futures Schools Challenge 2025/26.
The nationwide programme brings schools and industry together to equip young people with the skills, confidence and experience they need for the jobs of the future.
This academic year marks the largest participation in the Powering Futures programme to date, with 125 schools signed up across the country and around 2,300 pupils set to take part.
In Argyll and Bute, 36 pupils from Hermitage Academy, Tobermory High School, and Oban High School will work in teams to research, develop and present solutions to challenges that have been set by leading Scottish businesses.
Powering Futures was established in 2020 to empower young people with the skills, critical thinking and confidence to enter the workplace.
At its heart is the Powering Futures Challenge Programme, which tasks teams of S5 and S6 pupils with solving a problem set by industry.
At the end of the process, participants will gain a SCQF Level 6 qualification, equivalent to a Scottish Higher.
Now in its fifth year, Powering Futures is celebrating its largest-ever cohort and a record number of organisations setting this year’s challenges.
Some 2,300 pupils will work in teams to tackle one of five real-world problems designed by leading Scottish industries, reflecting the priorities shaping Scotland’s future economy:
Industry mentors from these organisations will work directly with pupils in the classroom, guiding their research and helping develop creative solutions.
The programme will culminate in spring 2026, when pupils present their ideas to a panel of industry judges at a regional final at UHI Inverness.
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