As the school academic year draws to a close, we have been reflecting on how Building Greater Exeter has supported schools to promote careers in construction and the built environment during 2020/21.
One of our goals is to inspire the future workforce, however due to COVID-19 we were unable to deliver face to face activities with schools.
We responded therefore to their requests for video assets, online resources and virtual activities, by delivering the following:
Construction Education Hub
The hub provides lots of engaging activities and educational resources to help those interested in learning more about the construction industry. This resource is ever evolving, with new and updated information being added all the time. It has been promoted to schools in the Greater Exeter area at every opportunity and the feedback from Career Leads has been positive.
Video Resources
We have worked with our partners to create a number of different videos to promote careers in construction including: Women in STEMM Careers in Construction; St Sidwell’s Point Leisure Centre; The Nightingale Hospital; Carl Rimmer – from Rugby Player to Building Surveyor. These videos are promoted on our YouTube channel and also on our website.
Virtual Talks and Activities
In collaboration with our construction project partners we offered all the secondary schools across Exeter, East Devon and Teignbridge the opportunity to participate in a variety of virtual talks and activities focussing on local projects. Activities were set to engage the students and their ideas at the end of each activity were innovative and forward thinking.
Attended Virtual Events
We teamed up with Building Plymouth and our construction partners to raise awareness of careers in construction and the built environment at the Which Way careers fair. This event was aimed at years 7-13 from secondary schools across the South West. In addition we attended an event for Careers Leaders across the South West and participated in the virtual STEMM Fest Event.
Construction Training Directory
In April we launched an invaluable new section on our website called the Construction Training Directory. The aim of the resource is to make it as easy as possible for employers to find apprentices/trainees or courses to upskill their workforce, and of course for school leavers looking for courses in the local area, connecting them directly to training providers.
All of these resources have been promoted extensively to Career Leads at secondary schools across the Greater Exeter area, in conjunction with the HotSW Careers Hub and appear on a dedicated page on our website Resources for Schools – Building Greater Exeter
Since restrictions have lifted, Building Greater Exeter and our construction partners have been able to attend face to face events at schools including careers talks, activities and challenges at: West Exe School, Teignmouth Community School, Teign School, The Kings School, Sidmouth College and Isca Academy.
Building Greater Exeter is a partnership and these activities would not have been possible without the support of our project partners and they have been delivered in collaboration with them. Thank you to all our partners for their ongoing support and special thanks to the following for their participation in these activities; Bam, Kier, Midas, SDS, TClarke, Morgan Sindall and Willmott Dixon.
We really hope that we have inspired young people to consider a career in the construction industry and built environment. Who knows, we may have already met some of our future workforce (either virtually or in person) during this past year!
