The leading representative body for the sector, Build UK, and major contractor Canary Wharf Group (CWG) recently hosted a behind-the-scenes tour of Wood Wharf in London for local students, who heard inspirational career stories from the project team and learned about the wide variety of different roles needed on site.

It was an exclusive preview for Open Doors 2025, which will be delivered by Build UK between 17 and 22 March and see organisations across the UK hosting tours of their workplaces for students and careers advisers to inspire young people to pursue a career in construction.

Open Doors engaged with over 5,000 potential new entrants across 220 events in March 2024, and Julie White, Chair of Build UK, is hoping to emulate that feat in 2025.

Julie said: “Seeing young people experience a construction project or workplace for the first time and hearing the words “wow I never knew this role existed” is why we run Open Doors.

“As an industry we needed tens of thousands of new recruits before the Government announced its new target to build 1.5 million new homes, and so it’s more important than ever that we are showcasing the wide range of career opportunities available across the supply chain.

“There is a career for everyone in construction, whatever their skills or interests, and planting the seed in young people’s minds now is crucial – especially for school, college and university leavers who, if they catch the construction bug, could be working in the industry in a few months’ time.”

The tour hosted earlier this month at the 23-acre Wood Wharf development welcomed students from Stepney All Saints School with the support of the Construction Youth Trust. When complete, Wood Wharf will boast more than 2 million sq ft of office space, 3,600 new homes and 550,000 sq ft of shops, restaurants and public spaces to transform the local community.

Speaking on its partnership with Open Doors, Alec Vallintine, Managing Director, Construction at CWG, commented: “CWG is committed to creating positive change through shared social purpose, focused on Education, Employment and Skills. Open Doors allows us to tap into local talent currently in education who are considering their next steps, giving them exclusive access to our workplaces and our people, and showcasing a world of opportunity within our sector.”

Booking for Open Doors events will open on 13 January 2025 and educations providers can register their interest in attending events in their area now or find out more at: opendoors.construction/careers-leaders

Following huge demand for Career Shapers in 2024, the firm is doubling its capacity for 2025, offering over 1,000 places across the UK. Students will be able to take part in real life business scenarios and group exercises, as well as developing valuable skills, such as teamwork, networking, and analytical skills.

Career Shapers event empowers women

Applications are now open for the first of the in-person, Career Shapers ‘Inspiring Women’ event for Year 12 students. The programme is open to all genders, and students taking part in these sessions will hear from some of the inspirational women who work at Deloitte, hear firsthand about their career journeys and find out how the firm operates.

There are 50 places available in person at Deloitte’s London office on 18-20 February 2025 and 50 places on offer in Deloitte’s Birmingham office on 23 – 25 April 2025*. Applications are now open for both slots and Year 12 students can apply on the Deloitte website.

New opportunities for Year 9 students

Career Shapers will now welcome applications from students in Year 9 for the first time. This virtual Career Shapers programme for Years 9, 10 and 11 will take place on 7 and 8  August 2025, and students are being encouraged to register their interest on the Deloitte website ahead of applications opening on 13 January 2025.

There will be 1,000 places available for students to find out how the firm operates, and benefit from employability sessions that will help set them up for their future career.

Year 10 pupil, Annabelle Gibson, aged 15, attended the virtual Career Shapers event in 2024. She said: “I found the presentations from people who worked at Deloitte very inspirational. They gave examples of what they were doing when they were students and what they’ve since gone on to do as a career, so it was relatable.

“The speakers gave real-life examples of work – it was insight that I don’t think I would have managed to get if I didn’t do Career Shapers. Also, with it being virtual, there was breakout rooms to speak to other students and I’ve made friends from that. I’m now interested in doing the Year 12 programme when I get to that stage.”

Lauren McCafferty, director of early careers at Deloitte, said: “We’re excited to be doubling the capacity of our successful Career Shapers programme. We know that young people are starting to research and make decisions about career options at an earlier age, which is why we’re now welcoming applications from Year 9 students, so they can be as well informed as possible when making important decisions about their futures.

“Now is a great opportunity to register your interest in these programmes. They are extremely popular, and we want students and their parents to be aware of these wonderful opportunities – so head over to our early careers website to find out more.”

Year 12 – virtual events

As well as the female-focused in-person event for year 12 students taking place in London and Birmingham, there will be a virtual event for all year 12 students that will take place on 28-29 July 2025. Students can register their interest on the Deloitte website ahead of applications opening on 13 January 2025.

The resource showcases the diverse skills involved in a day in the life of the British Army and provides teachers with an exciting way to teach geography that captivates students.

The Applying Geographic Skills resource provides an in-depth look into the diverse roles within the British Army that utilise geographic skills, from logistics to strategic planning, broadening students’ understanding of how geography is applied in different careers. By presenting geography in the context of real-world Army scenarios, this innovative resource offers teachers an exciting way to make geography lessons captivating and relevant for students aged 11–16.

With robust curriculum links, the resource addresses a critical need in the education sector. A recent study by the Geographical Association (2024) reveals that 70% of UK teachers need more accessible and high-quality resources to effectively deliver the geography curriculum. Furthermore, 48% of teachers report their workload as unmanageable most or all of the time (Engineering UK, 2023), underscoring the necessity for additional support and innovative teaching materials in geography education.

The new resource introduces students to essential geographic skills in data, map, and GIS analysis. In one of the featured activities, students work to analyse a range of data to determine a location for a Forward Operating Base (FOB). The resource includes two 45-minute lessons and a 60-minute session with presentations and worksheets, with activity options and extensions for KS4.

The British Army’s free platform, British Army Supporting Education, is a one-stop shop of award-winning resources available to support teachers. It offers engaging, curriculum-led resources and the ability to organise inspiring workshops, work experiences, and career development services.

The Applying Geographic Skills resource is now available for free on the BASE website here. You can also explore their full range of resources, covering leadership, mental wellbeing, character education, employability skills, STEM, and key calendar moments such as Black History Month, Remembrance, and VE Day on their lesson library here. With these supportive educational resources, the British Army positively impacts the educational experience of young people and empowers them for the future.

Dukes Plus, a leading education consultancy firm, provides innovative and life-changing career experiences that help students discover and work towards their career goals.

As part of their aim to help young people maximise their potential, Dukes Plus has created the ‘Choose Your Path’ tool revealing the best route to success in a personalised report.

To generate the report, the tool needs a student’s age, first name, chosen field of study and a subject within this field, grades or predicted grades and career of interest.

Based on the provided information, the tool will reveal suitable careers for the student, including potential salaries and university courses to help them achieve their goals.

Alison Bissell, Director of Dukes Plus Consultancy, said: “Choosing what career to pursue isn’t always clear as there are so many different paths to go down. Most people won’t know their dream job until later in life, but by then, it can be much harder to start over and change careers.”

Dukes Plus also revealed there are an average of 3,600 searches each month asking ‘what career is right for me’, which increased by a quarter year-on-year!

Alison Bissell continued: “Even though the choices available to young people can be overwhelming, we always seek to bring clarity and simplicity to the process. We see the journey towards university and onward to early careers as a catalyst for personal growth, in and of itself.”

With the Dukes Plus career experiences, students can trial-run their dream careers while working with industry-leading professionals in a range of desirable and competitive fields, including architecture, medicine, and fashion design.

Alison Bissell said: “We want to help inform young people of the options most suited to their skills and interests and give them a chance to test-drive these careers before they commit time and money to pursue them.”

Key figures from the county’s 12 universities, local councils, employers and organisations invested in graduate employment came together to discuss how they can collectively support graduates to stay and thrive in Yorkshire.

The one-day conference, Overcoming employer challenges and championing graduates across Yorkshire, was led by Yorkshire Universities and hosted at Sheffield Hallam University.

Expert panels discussed the challenges facing graduate recruitment and how to create opportunities and develop solutions together to enable graduates to access highly skilled roles and support the regional economy.

The new Government has described economic growth, particularly in the regions, as one of its key priorities.

Regional leaders discussed how universities and their partners are critical drivers of economic growth – securing inward investment as well as providing a skilled workforce and access to support and expertise to the region’s businesses, including graduate-led enterprises.

Professor Liz Mossop, Vice-Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University, said: “Yorkshire is diverse and vibrant region with huge potential. Forging a joined-up, collaborative approach to retaining the regions’ ready supply of highly skilled graduates is key to driving innovation and enterprise and absolutely critical to stimulate economic growth across our cities and towns. ,

“ Success is utterly reliant on strong partnership working, and I was delighted to welcome business, civic and education leaders from across the region to discuss the key challenges and opportunities employers and graduates face. The sense of shared purpose was tangible, and I look forward to developing this determined coalition to ensure our graduates stay and thrive in Yorkshire.”

During the conference Yorkshire Universities also revealed the latest version of their inclusive recruitment guide, aimed at offering practical advice to employers to support them to recruit diverse graduates.

The new guide offers additional advice on recruiting international graduates and those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Professor Karen Bryan OBE, Vice-Chancellor of York St John University and Chair of Yorkshire Universities, said: “Yorkshire Universities is working proactively to support our region’s employers to access the thousands of talented individuals graduating from universities across Yorkshire each year.

We hope the refreshed guide will ensure that we can retain a wider pool of skilled graduates in the region who are key to supporting the future prosperity of our towns and cities”.

Generation Logistics Week, scheduled to run on 24 – 28 June 2024, will host a range of educational activities throughout the five days, each one supported by the campaign’s sponsors including CEVA Logistics, GXO and Tesco. Pre-recorded podcasts will be available for educators to use in class, complemented by video case studies featuring young professionals sharing their career journeys, an ambassador recruitment webinar with STEM Learning, and a sector-facing recruitment webinar.

Bethany Windsor, Programme Director of Generation Logistics, commented: “We are so excited to see Generation Logistics Week come to life for the very first time. With plenty of activities taking place during the week for educators and students alike, including in-person and online events, pre-recorded webinars and video case studies telling their stories, we’re confident that it will reach the right people and highlight the breadth of opportunities that are available for young people within the sector.”

Generation Logistics Week will also feature a virtual careers fair for young people to learn more about the roles available within the sector. Alongside virtual efforts, there will also be three in-person events taking place, with the first backed by Malcolm Logistics in Scotland and the remaining two supported by Maersk in Liverpool and Felixstowe ports.

A comprehensive online Education Hub is also available for teachers and education professionals to use before, during and after the week, packed with information to enable educators to inform their students about the opportunities available in the sector, which is one of the biggest employers in the economy. Educationhub.generationlogistics.org is a free, online downloadable library of curriculum-relevant materials for teachers and career advisors from KS3 to KS5, designed to communicate the role of logistics in the modern world and the breadth of opportunities available to future employees.

Bethany Windsor continues: “By targeting teachers and education professionals directly, Generation Logistics is aiming to bring awareness of logistics as a career option to young people at a much earlier stage in the consideration process, starting in the classroom.

“Generation Logistics Week and the Education Hub will support teachers and career advisors to bring the career path of logistics into the classroom, to inspire the next generation of talent and showcase the vast opportunities in logistics.”

Dukes Plus, a leading education consultancy firm, has analysed what students are currently learning to find how it aligns with predictions for the future job market.

In a Dukes Education survey asking 1,000 school students which subjects they most enjoy, over four in 10 chose STEM lessons, including computer science, biology and maths.

Humanities topics were second favourite, but creative subjects, like art, music, and drama, were the least popular — only chosen by a quarter of school students.

The interest in STEM seemingly continues into further education, with online monthly searches for ‘computer science A level’ seeing a 21% year-on-year increase.

This popularity is a positive sign as STEM careers are estimated to grow in importance due to a greater need for climate change specialists, digital skills and medical staff in the future.

However, further research suggests that school resources are not fulfilling this growing demand for STEM studies — nearly nine in 10 parents said their children’s schools needed more high-quality maths and science teachers in a recent report.

A greater focus on STEM at school will be critical for filling the already-present green skills shortage, which ranges from a scientific understanding of the natural world to clean energy engineering skills.

Although global demand for green skills has risen by 40% since 2015, only 13% of the labour workforce has the necessary skills, according to the World Economic Forum.

While creative subjects were the least popular, creative industries are reportedly the third largest employers of STEM graduates and hire many humanities graduates.

Humanities subjects can also provide young people with various soft skills, like resilience, communication, and empathy, which will prepare students for many job types. Soft skills are also likely to become coveted as jobs require the human qualities that AI can’t provide.

Alison Bissell, Director of Dukes Plus Consultancy, said: “More than ever before, students are asking us how they can “future-proof” their educational route. They’re keen to minimise the risk of their future degree being gazumped by a job market transformed by AI.

“The demand for Computer Science courses, particularly at the undergraduate level, is entirely out of sync with availability, whereas the Humanities “stock” is low.

“Whilst speculation around the skills gap of the future gets us so far, we’re fundamentally here to help students cut through the chatter, and make bold educational decisions that leverage their strengths, open up possibilities, and give rise to a satisfying career.”

This session marks the start of plans to help teachers develop their curriculums in collaboration with employers.

Equipping teachers with an understanding of what recruiting organisations look for is the first step to better shaping the learning of current and future generations and bridging the gap between schools and employment.

The Careers in the Curriculum Conference welcomed senior leaders at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, JCB and Ideagen as well as teachers from across East Midlands schools such as Bilborough College, Derby College and Chesterfield College to help ensure pupils are best prepared for the transition from education to work.

Taking place at the University of Derby’s Enterprise Centre, the collaboration between The East Midlands Institute of Technology and D2N2 LEP Careers Hub was the first of its kind and well received by the 45-plus teachers and 10 employers who attended.

Teaching staff told D2N2 that the event equipped them with a stronger knowledge of the skills directive of the region and gave them the confidence to adapt their teaching plans to address the skills demanded by employers in the working world.

CEO of D2N2, Will Morlidge, commented: “We have been delighted with the response from those who attended our inaugural event.

“The education and employment collaboration through the Careers in the Curriculum Conference is exciting and as a Careers Hub, we are keen to foster this approach with all skill sectors across the region.

“Moving forward, we will be organising more events like this, ensuring each sector of employment has representation, as well as involving the wider community such as parents and carers.”

The D2N2 Careers Hub is funded by the Department for Education and is one of forty-four skills infrastructure across the country.

It aims to connect employers to local young people and their training staff through a range of schemes and programmes for young people to benefit from.

The D2N2 Careers Hub works with 175 secondary schools inclusive of Further Education institutions, support centres and SEND schools.

It also collaborates with 75 primary schools as part of the Department for Education’s new pilot programme ‘Start Small Dream Big’.

Inclusion is a key priority of its work, with the local enterprise supporting all young people regardless of background and ability.

The Careers in the Curriculum event took place amid a pressing need to bridge the gap between organisations and educators.

The number of young people in employment from November 2023 to January 2024, was 163,000 less than it was before the pandemic, while the number of inactive young people was 378,000 above pre-pandemic levels.

Kerren Ratcliffe, Associate Director at Coca Cola was one of the representatives of large-scale employers in attendance.

She said: “The event was excellent and insightful. With the time constraints both employers and teachers have it is important to ensure that any time we do spend together is impactful and has scale.

“This event allowed teachers to ask questions, demystify the recruitment process and jointly consider ideas that will better support students in preparing for their next steps. We have some great actions coming out of the day and look forward to working on them.”

Aaron Denton who attended in his role as Director of Student Experience and Pastoral Support at Derby College added: “Derby College Group (DCG) was delighted to be involved in the inaugural D2N2’s Careers in the Curriculum Event.

“It gave us many opportunities to meet with employers and other education providers and discuss how we can enrich our lessons and create additional links to employment paths for our young people.

“We are passionate at DCG at helping young people get into the world of work, and this event gave us additional food for thought.

“And as a partner of The East Midlands Institute of Technology, such events help drive us towards our aim of delivering world-class, research-orientated and employer-led courses.”

Christian Aid has several initiatives already running in classrooms around the UK – including its Global Neighbours scheme (left) and Creative for Climate Justice – thousands of pupils have taken part, achieving awards, holding exhibitions and even having artwork on display in the Houses of Parliament.

Christian Aid teachers help with these programmes, as well as talking about particular aspects of global injustice.

The charity’s schools team explained volunteers don’t need to be qualified teachers, though experience of teaching or working with children is required.

Christian Aid’s Schools Programme Officer, Alison Brown, said: “It also helps to have engaging presentation skills, some knowledge of technology like Zoom, an enthusiasm for the work of Christian Aid and a willingness to attend training. We run remote training sessions twice a year, we have a wide range of resources for our volunteers to use, and we hope they’ll do at least two school visits a term.

“Our volunteers are amazing – they really understand how to get across the idea we live in an unequal world with so many communities living in extreme poverty. We want to get across the idea people are not in any way to blame for this poverty and to challenge any misconceptions children might hold, and we know there’s not a simple answer. It’s important our volunteer teachers can help children understand the world is complex but there are things they can do to help challenge injustice.

“We want children to start asking questions and speak up about injustice, to challenge the causes of poverty as well as support people to find ways to transform their lives.”

Ruth Norris is a volunteer teacher in Berkshire.

She said: “As a retired teacher, I miss being with children and the buzz of a school. My sister suggested Christian Aid’s volunteer teacher programme – and the rest, as they say, is history.

“You get out at least as much as you put in to this role – it’s very rewarding. The teachers and pupils have all been so very friendly; they love having a different face and a different voice in school to talk to them. It’s always been a good experience. It’s all about using our voices, working together and making things happen.”

Anyone interested can find out more through the Christian Aid website or by emailing schools@christian-aid.org.