Eco Influence brings real-world
sustainability to trade students
January 08th 2026
Go Green’s Eco Influence programme was delivered to Doncaster College on 12th, 13th and 18th November 2025; six focused sessions on sustainability and trade waste management were delivered to trade students over three days in partnership with Work Placement Coordinator Abbie Sturla-Manning.
Led by Paige and Simon, Social Value Coordinators from Go Green, the sessions were carefully aligned to the students’ existing curriculum and their future career paths in industry. Rather than a generic sustainability talk, the content drilled into how waste management and sustainable practice will show up in real workplaces, from day-to-day decision making on site, through to the bigger environmental responsibilities of modern trades.
“Paige and Simon did a brilliant job at tailoring their presentation to our trade students’ curriculum and future career prospects, and how they might put sustainability practices and waste management into action,” said Abbie Sturla-Manning, Work Placement Coordinator at Doncaster College.
Professional, engaging and well organised
Across all six 45-minute sessions, the team focused on interaction and discussion, not just slides. Learners were encouraged to contribute their own ideas and experiences, helping to keep engagement high. Abbie described the team as “very professional and equipped to keep our learners engaged and involved with discussion and contributions,” adding that each session was clearly structured to make the best use of the time.
Supporting careers, enrichment and wider college aims
The Eco Influence sessions weren’t just a standalone “nice to have”, they linked directly into Doncaster College’s wider careers and enrichment offer. Students came away with a broader understanding of how the waste industry operates, the external factors influencing it, and why sustainability is becoming a non-negotiable part of professional practice.
“Our learners gained a wider understanding of the industry and the influencing factors to consider for their future careers,” Abbie explained.
A growing partnership with impact
Doncaster College and Go Green have been collaborating for over a year, combining industry talks and project work to help learners build skills, confidence and community impact.
“We’d love to continue our collaboration with Go Green,” Abbie said. “The industry talks and projects we’ve worked on together have been incredibly effective in widening our learners’ skill set and knowledge and helping them make an impact on the local community.”
She also highlighted the value of bringing external expertise into the classroom:
“I would definitely recommend Go Green’s involvement with local schools or educators. The knowledge and awareness they bring to each session is an incredibly valuable message to the younger generation, always delivered with passion and confidence around their expertise.”
As Go Green looks ahead into 2026, partnerships like this will remain at the heart of the Eco Influence programme, inspiring the next generation of trades professionals to champion sustainability wherever their careers take them.
