Mayor of Derry / Londonderry hosts graduation ceremony at the Guildhall for GEMX MakeME students

The GEMX MakeME Academy is an 18-month program designed to enable social mobility while empowering young people to make informed decisions about their future career paths and education.

The core of the program involves a company adopting a school and working closely with them for the duration of the 18-month period. In addition to the pupils engaged directly with the programme, further school/ company links are encouraged to the benefit of the wider school group.

Speaking after the event, GEMX Programme Manager Joanne Sweeney said: “I am delighted to see so many local young people who have successfully completed the GEMX MakeMe programme. Through a range of activities conducted within the school environment and on-site at participating companies, students are exposed to experiential learning opportunities that add to the traditional curriculum. This approach promotes exemplary practices for employer-school engagement while equipping students with essential life skills and practical experiences.”

Joanne Sweeney added: “Our program offers a diverse range of activities (all created to suit our companies and schools), including industry-led presentations, one-to-one chats, informal meetings, site visits, product demonstrations, soft-skills mentoring, and fundraising, all complementing the school curriculum while encouraging a mindset of self-belief. The young people involved must recognise the importance of their future – the ME element! As part of this delivery, we have worked with approximately 500 pupils across the region.”

DuPont Maydown was one of the participating companies. Niall McCready, Site Digital Specialist DuPont Maydown said: “Through a range of activities conducted within the school environment and on-site at participating companies, we have provided students with experiential learning opportunities that add to the traditional curriculum.

“This approach promotes exemplary practices for employer-school engagement while equipping students with essential life skills and practical experiences. I’m delighted to see so many students completing the programme. For me, the most important thing is that the young people get to meet and interact with people who they wouldn’t normally meet in their everyday life.”

The next roll out of the MakeMe Academy is September 2025. School and local companies who would like to participate are advised to email [email protected] for more information. GEMX is supported by Invest NI as part of their Collaborative Growth Programme.