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NSC Home Page > EUAS Contents > Policies and initiatives
INDUSTRY
Policies and initiatives
Industry stances toward the educational use of sites are highly varied in practice and generally respond at a number of levels, both within companies and with respect to the potential educational user.
Where stated, specific references to involvement with formal education (in this instance, as distinct from vocational training in its widest sense), are usually to be found in broad policy statements, generally covering environmental issues/sustainable development and or community relations.
This section summarises the present position. More detailed information is given in Appendix 14.
Trade Federations
The Quarry Products Association (and its predecessors - BACMI, SAGA, Limestone Federation etc), have long recognised the significance of education and for 15 or so years have played a role in education by the provision of paper and web-based educational support materials, major annual child safety campaigns (Play Safe - Stay Safe), encouraging (through QPTC - now EPIC) training of company staff in community relations, support for major initiatives such as Minerals '98, Scottish Geology Week, member company open days, advice on school visits etc. Following a recent review, QPA recognised that their paper-based educational publications are now a little dated. Revision is now under consideration by a working group. The main thrust is aimed at making more evident the links between quarrying, the everyday use of quarry products and the positive after-use of sites."Quarrying represents a rare cross-curricular for schools and colleges. That's why it is our policy to facilitate links, to provide resources, to work in partnership and to aim to establish a balanced and positive dialogue with tomorrow's adults"
Simon van der Byl, Director General, Quarry Products Association
The other trade federation representing the aggregates industry, the BAA, has no explicit educational policy, but many member companies do engage in local educational initiatives.
Company Policies
Many companies are not particularly explicit, but often clearly imply that they will respond positively towards education. For example, in annual reports they give prominence (indeed they are often effusive) to recording initiatives with schools particularly in the context of promoting visits to sites restored to nature conservation after uses, or in respect of site open days, company staff involvement in mentoring etc.Representatives of ten of the largest companies (including the six largest), and many of the smaller companies were interviewed. A fairly clear pattern emerged, segmenting the industry responses to education into three main groups:
a) Those larger companies with a significant central core service structure offered the most comprehensive services to education. A laudable feature of some of these is that despite recent restructuring in many cases, they have capitalised upon the excellent initiatives of both the 'parent' and the company/ies acquired. This category relies both upon internally generated material and other productions, e.g. from their trade federation.
b) In companies with more diffuse or strongly regionalised structures, the response although still positive, rests very strongly indeed on the initiatives of individual unit or sometimes areas manager. In general, these companies rest more heavily upon trade federation publications and, or materials produced in a local office.
c) In many small and medium-sized enterprises, the pattern is similar to that above, with perhaps less awareness of trade federation literature and a greater variation in initiatives. In these last two categories, there is remarkably little to differentiate the efforts of the best from the larger and some very small companies, in terms of originality and quality.
Of the larger companies, Hanson, Lafarge and Foster Yeoman were very proactive in the educational field, with educational programmes which involved management at all levels and included dedicated staff, centres and in-house literature. Tarmac, Aggregate Industries and RMC, have at various times in the past been engaged significantly with education, but recent organisational changes have reduced their roles in this field, which now rests very heavily upon the initiative and enthusiasm of individual middle, area or unit level management. Some of the ideas and events organised by the SMEs in the industry are particularly praiseworthy and prove that cost is not necessarily a key factor.
Further details and examples of industry policy and initiatives are given Appendix 14.
Other general conclusions from this review are as follows:
a) In almost all cases, prime motivators for educational involvement were recent planning history, the enthusiasm of a local manager, a new plant or a particular environmental initiative.
b) In almost all cases, most initiatives were generally focussed upon the larger operating sites within a company. However there were some most enterprising activities at relatively small quarries.
c) Almost no educational work was undertaken at remote asphalt, concrete or recycling plants, wharves or rail depots, despite their normal proximity to significant populations and their considerable potential.
d) With a few notable exceptions, in the case of restored sites where public access had been provided, the industry's former activities usually had a remarkably low profile, as portrayed by information available on site. Very little detail is usually given on the industrial heritage of mineral working/processing and the contribution made to the area in respect of provision of materials.
e) The coverage of biodiversity was normally extensive and that of geodiversity was often minimal but is growing, and is seen as a possible major future trend. Whereas the need to promote biodiversity is laudable, there are pointers which suggest that the industry might otherwise neglect at their peril, the particular opportunities offered by geodiversity.