BSW Challenge Programme

What is the programme?

Teams of your next generation workforce are taking on a set of real business challenges set by your organisation. These challenges relate to being able to move towards sustainability goals whilst hitting key businesses objectives.

Over 14 weeks (2 hours per week), the teams will learn how to:

In addition to identifying solutions, participants will be developing skills to help them in their careers, both now and in the future.

  • Break a problem down and identify the root cause

  • Innovate on potential solutions

  • Build a business case for implementation

The challenges they are taking on:

SINGLE USE PLASTIC:

Design a sustainable, biodegradable packaging solution to replace single-use plastic bags for tree roots, considering all aspects of the supply chain and operational requirements

EFFECTIVE LAND USE:

Design a solution to grow the same number of trees using less land, improving land use efficiency while maintaining or enhancing tree quality and sustainability.

GROWTH MONITORING:

Create a system to monitor and manage tree growth precisely, reducing waste and improving the proportion of trees within the target size range.

The programme structure

The Challenge Programme is a combination of live events, online modules and independent learning. It is split into three focused sprints.:

  • Sprint 1, "What's the Problem?"

  • Sprint 2, "What's the Solution?"

  • Sprint 3, "What's the Business Case?".

The challenge is running from 8th April to 8th July 2025 for 2 hours per week, culminating in a presentation showcase where the teams will present their ideas to your leadership

The skills they will learn on the programme are:

1

Investigating a problem

Identifying factors and constraints

Conducting a root cause analysis

2

Innovation techniques

Making trade offs

Influencing behaviour change

Critical analysis

3

Quantifying ROI

Presenting ideas

How can we get involved?

One of the key benefits of the programme is that it enables apprentices to meet more people from across the business. '

This could be to help them understand different perspectives on the problem, as a sounding board for an idea, or to give them feedback on their presentation.

If you are interested in supporting the teams get in touch with the programme manager Joseph Trodden on joseph@poweringfutures.com