Founder of Kiwi Education embarks on Antarctic expedition to share effects of climate change

Southampton’s Michael Steel is no stranger to the world’s most extreme environments.

Together with 72-year-old fellow adventurer Pauline Bisson he has summited Mount Kilimanjaro and trekked across the Sahara Desert, all in aid of Hampshire disability charity Enham Trust.

This time he and Pauline have gone one step further, embarking on a once-in-a-lifetime expedition to Antarctica.

There they were able to witness the effects of climate change first hand and learn how the continent’s geology and glaciology has changed over the years.

During the trip, Michael put on hold his role as Managing Director of Kiwi Education, which he founded in 2013.

But his Antarctic adventure wasn’t just a personal mission – it coincides with a rollout of new ‘green skills’ apprenticeships and short courses at the company, which aim to teach learners about waste recycling, energy efficiency, and corporate responsibility and sustainability.

Now back home in Southampton, Michael has been sharing his Antarctic experiences with trainees at Kiwi, with hopes that he can also urge businesses to review their own environmental policies and green culture.

Speaking before the trip, he said: “I’m planning to learn more about the impact of climate change and document my journey through photos and videos.

“Penguin colonies have been impacted due to the changes in temperatures on the Antarctic Peninsula, which we’ll learn about, and microbeads have been discovered in the ocean there.

Michael flies the Kiwi flag in Antarctica. Credit: Kiwi Education

“The more I learn, the more I can inform learners and businesses about the importance of climate change awareness.”

The trip began with Michael and Pauline flying to Punta Arenas in Chile, then over the world-famous Drake Passage to King George Island.

From there, they joined Quark Expeditions to make the journey by ship to the Antarctic Peninsula, where winter temperatures range between 0 and -10°C.

Also on board were a group of polar experts, who taught Michael and his fellow adventurers about Antarctic wildlife, history, glaciology, and geology.

While every landing on the continent is different and dependent on the weather, typical sightings include penguins and apex predators like leopard seals and orcas.

Michael also witnessed the melting of ice from glaciers – by now an all too familiar representation of the disastrous effects of climate change.

He said: “There’s a real possibility my home could be underwater one day and that’s really serious. People have got to, in my view, start thinking about how they can actively take small steps to make changes both personally and as employers.

“As the number of green jobs continues to grow, so does people’s level of social awareness about how our actions impact the planet, and it’s driving more people to question an organisation’s environmental performance.

“Keeping talent isn’t as simple as just increasing salaries. Lots of factors make up the reason for someone leaving a job and now you can add ‘climate quitting’ to the list.

“This is the growing trend of people who are leaving their jobs to pursue a career focused on tackling climate change, or because their employer’s ESG commitments aren’t solid.”

In fact, one third of 18 to 24-year-olds have rejected a job offer based on the prospective employer’s ESG performance, opting instead for more environmentally friendly roles and businesses.

“Our focus for the next decade is diversification into green skills”

Kiwi Education is looking to train the next generation of climate conscious workers, and Michael’s Antarctic expedition is sure to be a key focal point as they introduce their new courses.

These will include a Level 1 Award for courses in Waste and Recycling and for Energy Efficiency, as well as two Level 4 apprenticeships for Corporate Responsibility and for Sustainability and Community Energy Specialist.

The company is also set to launch its new online green hub, where it will detail its own sustainability and carbon action plans.

Michael said: “We’ve been running for almost a decade, and our focus for the next decade is our diversification into green skills and our aspirations to become a net zero employer ourselves.

Credit: rawpixel.com

“While we’ve already taken small steps like moving all paperwork and documents online, and we’re very conscious of water and energy usage, we’re going to move to electric company cars and have charging points installed, and we’re looking at installing a city beehive on our roof.

“We’re in the process of forming a relationship with the Woodland Trust, to have a tree planted in honour of each learner that comes on to any of our programmes and receives a paper certificate.

“As a training provider we’re going to be supporting other organisations to also put together net zero aspirations and deliver apprenticeships and short courses to those employers.”

A former apprentice himself, Michael recognises the importance of companies like Kiwi. He began his career in teaching, helping youth offenders to find work and training.

He also spent time with Enham Trust and the Department of Work and Pensions, finally leaving to launch Kiwi Education with just three months’ salary in the bank.

Since then, the company has grown to employ more than 40 staff at its offices in Burlington House, a Grade II listed building on Portland Terrace. It currently offers 17 apprenticeships and 20 short courses, as well as a variety of traineeships.