Centrica Energy provides donation to expand Skipper Clement international school in Aalborg

Expanding the international Skipper Clement school in Aalborg has come one step closer to realisation. Centrica Energy, as the first private business, has committed to providing a 5m DKK donation to expanding Skipper Clements international department, with the donation covering approximately 25% of the external funding demand.

Growing the number of admissions available for international students is critical for Northern Jutland’s ability to reruit and retrain international specialists, and Centrica Energy encourages other businesses to follow-up with further donations:

“Centrica Energy trades energy across international markets with the clear purpose of supporting the green transition. That’s why its critical that we can attract and retain highly educated and specialised employees from across the world, with specialised knowledge in e.g. renewable technologies. Our international employees are preoccupied with Aalborg having a strong international school where their children can attend. Unfortunately, we have seen that some international employees choose not to move to Aalborg, because their children cannot get admission to the international school or the collected proposition in moving to Aalborg is simply not strong enough. That’s why we’re happy to bring the Skipper Clement school closer to an expansion of it’s international department” said Nanna Glad, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer at Centrica Energy.

Centrica Energy is one of Aalborgs most international workplaces, with 89 international employees from 34 different countries in the businesses Aalborg office. Trading energy cross 27 international markets, Centrica Energy sees strong demand for specialised employees who speak different languages and have specific knowledge on different regions. However, the need for additional international schooling placements remains a challenge, and this also impacts a number of other business and institutions in Aalborg.

“This is about all of Northern Jutland. It’s about being able to acquire that specialised workers we all need. If our hospitals are to recruit the best surgeons, and our universities to recruit leading researchers, we need to be able to offer options that allow easy access to international schooling in Northern Jutland. That’s also why we’re encouraging all the businesses in the region to come together, and deliver the economic commitment needed to secure an expansion of the international school. We all need to contribute, if we want to secure this development for Northern Jutland.” said Nanna.

In August, Skipper Clement school established an additional pre-school class that has brought capacity for international students from 220 to 240. However, the long-term ambition is to establish an additional class for every grade, increasing the total capacity to 440. The planned expansion will cost 50m DKK, with the school financing 30m DKK, and the remaining 20m DKK needing to be financed by business and private foundations.

“We’re incredibly happy that Centrica Energy has chosen to make such a significant donation. For us, it means that we’re very optimistic about making the expansion of the school a reality. We hear from businesses that they need more international school placements, and it’s always disappointing when we have to refuse parents who would like their children to attend our school. I hope more companies will follow in Centrica Energy’s footsteps, and support the expansion.” said School Leader Peter Würtz from the Skipper Clement School.

The international student at Skipper Clement is taught according to the Cambridge-model, an internationally recognised model that makes it easy for children to follow the curriculum if they join from another school that teaches according to the same model. More than 10.000 schools in 160 countries are certified to teach according to the Cambridge-model.

As the school cannot house more students in the current facilities, two new buildings connected to existing facilities at Gammel Kærvej are planned, housing 11 new classrooms, vocational classrooms, and a new sports hall.