Case Study, Explore Construction and Create an Exciting Career
The commission's focus was to showcase the breadth and range of occupations and skills in the construction industry, shine a spotlight on the diversity of the workforce and demonstrate that there are no barriers to a construction career. The commissioner intended that those engaging with the materials would gain an appreciation for how the Construction Industry is leading on environmental management and creating change, and understand that a career in construction is long-term and secure.
Client Commission :
We were commissioned to create a Virtual Taster package of materials, including a film and learning resources, to be shown in onsite Experience Hubs, education and training centres across the UK, to encourage students, career changers and anyone seeking work to consider a career in the Construction Sector. The film needed to be watched by 30,000 people by contract end, and the collateral created was to be made available for two years at least.
Resources created and provided for the project:
A short film, featuring young construction staff in a range of roles, which had been watched by over 100,000 people by contract end. Learning materials for career starters working at Entry Level in specialist settings, Level 1 and 2 in schools, and Level 3 in Post-16 learning and training settings.
Teacher support packs and a webinar for all of the above.
Classroom materials such as posters and career profiles featuring the construction staff in our film.
The Collateral
All materials produced must, therefore, be easy to use and access, and intuitive for all teaching and support staff; we provide simple guidance on the learning content, including suggestions for activities, further links to direct students towards, and explanations of some of the concepts. Teachers and learning support staff are able to identify a specific activity which could take a few minutes and fit into an assembly length slot, or use the notes we provide to turn that into a longer lesson, or a series of lessons if desired. No preparation is needed and the range of activities mean that different students can be working through different elements, according to need or interest. Our approach is learning focused, with learning outcomes, and makes cross-curricular links, developing students’ understanding of themselves and the world as well as a specific sector. Teachers in all subject areas need to feel that the materials are relevant and worth attention.
The materials were differentiated to meet a range of needs and learning styles. We subtitle all of our films and match literacy levels to specific groups of students. We include widgits for those who have cognitive barriers who may be learning in specialist settings, with activities tailored to their experience and best career outcomes. We design materials for students learning at Level 1 and 2, and we have materials which can be followed independently by those who are learning at Level 3 or who are young adults. Activities are varied to suit a range of learning styles, and students have the freedom to access the materials in a range of ways; they are not arranged chronologically.
Our materials create cross-curricular links and provide information, learning and exercises on;
mentoring
apprenticeships
activities, such as strengths
skills self-assessment
goal-setting tools.
Delivery and Approach:
We use a blended teaching and coaching pedagogy and focus on enabling each learner to learn more about themselves, career pathways, specific sectors and roles, and how to be successful on their career journey. A computer programme does not do this for students; they can make their own meanings.
Young people want to access bite-sized multimedia material. Increasingly, due to social media consumption, messaging needs to be visual, eye-catching and short in length. There isn’t the stamina or interest in lengthy presentations. Studies show that subtitles support learning for all viewers, not just those with lower literacy levels or additional needs.
Professional quality bite-sized videos with graphics and subtitles were included in the resources. We partner with small film production companies which understand the audience; we work collaboratively to storyboard and consider teaching pedagogy during the creative process, so that there are multiple hooks for further learning and opportunities for teachers and other advisers, such as STEM Ambassadors and careers professionals, to build on the themes and concepts in discussions with young people.
Our approach to the creation of multimedia materials provides young people with a window into a more realistic career future, featuring real people in real jobs which are future focused. This meant that, for the construction industry, we included, among other roles: carpentry, quantity surveying, acoustic engineering, and drone operation. The mix was deliberate: including unusual roles which young people are unlikely to recognise as a job description, along with more traditional roles which are in high demand. The rest of the learning materials contain information, activities and links which build on the key messages in the film, so that young people can discover more and develop their understanding.
We know that STEM careers still overwhelmingly attract a narrow demographic, so careers materials need to feature people who represent all young people in some way. This can be challenging for employers who send a representative into schools to engage physically in outreach programmes. For example, most students – especially girls - give up learning computer science, design focused subjects, and mathematics as early as they are able, and many opt to study traditional university degrees which are not leading to high skilled roles in in-demand industries. They need to see representation in the film and materials in order to think that construction could be suitable for them.
We choose interviewees who are young and in the first phase of their career journey, as apprentices, graduate trainees, or in their first junior management role. The people who feature in our materials are able to share their career starter journeys, which will inspire and give ideas to others about how to start a career in construction.
Why we took specific approaches
Filming was conducted in both urban and rural settings, including a heritage build, to represent the range of locations and ways of working
Young people need to relate to the people in the film, so we chose current career starters whom viewers can connect with
Routes into construction needed to be highlighted, the focus therefore was on degree and apprentice routes open to school leavers and adults
A range of job types was covered to suit the wide ranging audience, including trades and roles requiring a degree
Relevant future-focused technologies were profiled and tools such as Passivhaus and drones to add excitement and support current methodology
A focus on women in construction was essential to support industry equality and diversity goals
Learning materials were created to accompany the film and enable users to develop their understanding and interest. These learning materials also meant that the film would be needed to be watched multiple times, thereby increasing the likelihood of viewers following up the engagement with positive action
Schools and community settings are always looking for materials to use during short sessions such as tutor time, so the materials meet their needs
Differentiated materials were created to enable users with varying academic and cognitive abilities to engage with the film’s key messages and learning
The film was subtitled to ensure access
Teacher packs help adult facilitators to use the materials and get the most out of them for their students
Additional materials, such as posters, provide settings with more materials to use to signpost to the film, the CITB and Go Construct
The learning materials were submitted to SkillsBuilder for an Impact Level Award, which adds value to schools. Students are awarded SkillsBuilder badges as a result of completing the learning activities
As per The Careers and Enterprise Company’s and Gatsby’s Benchmarks, schools were encouraged to share the film with their stakeholders, including parents, Governors, and Enterprise Advisors.
Return on Investment:
The commission was for use by the CITB’s education arm, Go Construct and within their learning hubs. It was branded to conform to the client’s branding requirements.
The ROI was measured by views and downloads. With over 100000 views of the film, the ROI per student is currently less than 50 pence (GBP) per view /head.
The film and the resources were branded to conform with the clients branding.
All the resources are the property of the client and remain in use by the client.