Community Impact
In the UK, as elsewhere, we want to be a business that makes a positive and sustainable difference to people’s lives. This means investing time, skills and financial resources to engage with and support communities in the places where we operate across the UK.
Through a range of social investments and donations, we work with organizations to make a positive impact on society in areas such as education, employment and social mobility, workforce diversity and biodiversity, and by providing charitable support to help some of the most vulnerable in society.
bp’s Louise Kingham, senior vice president Europe and head of country UK explores how businesses can positively impact communities on the Lens Podcast.
Investing in education and skills for a just transition
We believe that to be prepared for the jobs of tomorrow, students will continue to need a strong foundation in STEM education and employability skills. For more than 50 years, we have been providing educational resources and employability support to help inspire the next generation and develop home-grown talent with the skills the energy sector needs to deliver the energy transition
Transition skills on Teesside
Twenty students started the bp-funded Clean Energy Technician Scholarship Programme at Redcar & Cleveland College in 2023.
The bespoke two-year engineering course specializes in the skills needed for the future.
Energising Futures
In June 2023 we launched Energising Futures to support teachers and students around the UK with free STEM resources.
An evolution of bp’s Educational Service, the new online platform provides educational tools to bring real-world science to life. Over 5,000 teachers had used Energising Futures resources by the end of 2023, potentially reaching around 380,000 young people in their classrooms.
Boosting social mobility
We want to give everyone the opportunity to succeed, whatever their start in life. That is why we are providing a wide range of opportunities, supporting programmes across the UK that could change lives and benefit generations to come.
We launched our Work Experience programmes in 2023, reaching more than 350 young people in the UK. Since 2022 our collaboration with Migrant Leaders, a UK charity that works with disadvantaged young migrants to broaden their horizons, has helped young people to develop the key skills and confidence they need for a future in the workplace.
Get into Retail with The Prince’s Trust
We partnered with The Prince’s Trust to help up to 50 disadvantaged young people get into paid work.
The ‘Get into Retail’ programme gives participants access to valuable work experience and employability training. By the end of 2023, 14 out of the initial 18 participants had secured permanent employment with bp.
Supporting communities through volunteering and charitable giving
We have a long history of direct support through charitable donations, partnership programmes and sharing our time and expertise. In 2023 we responded to the cost-of-living crisis by donating more than £16 million to organizations that support some of the most vulnerable families in society. Our employees donated £2.49 million to charitable causes, including matched funding from the bp Foundation.
Keeping UK youth centres up and running
We provided funding to OnSide, the national youth charity behind Youth Zones – a network of state-of-the-art youth centres located in some of the UK’s most disadvantaged communities.
There are 15 Youth Zones in the OnSide network, providing 55,000 young people with life-changing opportunities and support.
Tackling food poverty
In 2023 our work continued with UK charities dedicated to addressing food poverty and reducing waste.
We have been supporting Feeding Families, a food poverty charity based in north-east England, to help provide food to those who need it most.
Working to boost Britain’s biodiversity
Through our partnerships and programmes in different parts of the UK, we are taking action to make a positive impact to restore, maintain and enhance biodiversity. We have been investing in support of the UK’s biodiversity for decades, including our 20-year collaboration with Future Woodlands Scotland, which originated with the pioneering Scottish Forest Alliance. The Alliance successfully added 5,000 hectares of new or restored native woodland, enriching Scotland’s biodiversity.
Urban forestry programme
In 2023 we announced a new initiative with Future Woodlands Scotland – the Urban Forestry Programme – which aims to increase the number of trees and green spaces in Scotland’s towns and cities.
In support of the planned Morven offshore wind farm project, we are looking at contributing up to £10 million to urban areas where creating green space is anticipated to be of the most benefit to people.
