- CITB research* says that only 10% of construction employers have currently engaged with schools, and Built Environment Skills In Schools is supporting the ‘Next 10%’**
- Schools across England, Scotland and Wales closed from last Friday (20/3/2020) and will conduct remote learning until further notice
- GCSEs and A-levels are cancelled for this academic year, and it is likely students will receive their predicted grades
- Careers Leaders must continue to provide careers advice and guidance to pupils that meets the eight Gatsby Benchmarks during this time
Kathryn Lennon-Johnson, founder of Built Environment Skills In Schools, said, “The current situation globally is making things very difficult for everyone, but it is vital to recognise the support required by those who haven’t yet joined the workforce. The world must look very daunting to them, but time won’t stand still and they need to make choices about career pathways and qualifications. Construction has a long-standing and well-established recruitment problem, so we have taken the initiative to support the needs of employers and Careers Leaders during this critical time. Digital content is a win-win for employers because it’s cost-effective to produce, it isn’t restricted by location, and it can be viewed thousands of times with no impact on quality”.
Some of the guides, templates and courses available to construction employers from BESS include the Employer Engagement Scorecard, 101 Low-Cost Ideas to Brilliant Schools Engagement, the #BuildBetterStuff podcast, an employee guide to creating impactful Simple Careers Videos, an employer guide to Helping Schools Meet the Gatsby Benchmarks, one-page cheat sheets for school acronyms and safeguarding, a Virtual Work Experience framework, and a 12-week Schools Engagement Bootcamp. Many of these are also available through the CIC’s #RoadmapforChange.
*CITB research – review of the Young Apprentice Programme, 2015
**10% of UK construction employers is 31,460 based on 2017 ONS data