School Building Programmes Are a Great Way to Showcase New Career Pathways

Changing perceptions of what a career in construction means has always been central to broadening participation. As we apply MMC to school building programmes we have the opportunity to shape perceptions and encourage more young people to consider construction as a career – but only if we make the most of every opportunity to engage young people.

Perceptions that construction is male dominated and doesn’t welcome diversity may be outdated – but they are still very real. For many people a career in construction still conjures up an image of a person working on a muddy building site using traditional skills.

Education is setting the trend towards lower carbon construction and adopting MMC.  If we want to find examples of how construction is different from what people imagine and what this means for career opportunities, we don’t have to look far.

We know from our work with schools and colleges that when students are directly affected by the project outcome they are highly engaged with the process. They are eager to understand what their new school or facility will be like and how it will be designed and built.

It all seems very real and relevant. Any barriers to engagement soon disappear.

How InForm Helps Inform

Osborne’s InForm product for education is a great opportunity to showcase modern construction methods and career opportunities. With the 3D design environment students can start to explore their new school before it is built.

Instead of visits to a traditional construction site, which can be difficult for risk assessments, students can be shown the modern manufacturing environment where most of their new school buildings will be fabricated.

Showing students how real projects will be delivered is the best way for them to experience the different roles and skills involved in modern construction. Hopefully this will help them identify a route into a rewarding career with plenty of transferable skills.

InForm brings further opportunities to enrich students’ learning not just in technology but in mathematics, science, sustainability, IT and more. Osborne engineers will be working closely with teaching professionals to make the most of these opportunities.

But nothing happens on its own. Engaging with students is just one of the ways that Osborne delivers social value through every contract. It’s something we’ve always worked hard to achieve.

For more information about Osborne’s InForm product for education contact Richard King ([email protected]).