2,000 students complete virtual work experience

‘Learning in Lockdown’, an accredited virtual work experience programme created by experts from the education, digital and construction procurement sectors, has given nearly 2,000 year 10/S4 students from 300 secondary schools the opportunity to complete a week of work experience during the coronavirus lockdown.

Led by public sector procurement specialist, Scape Group, the not-for-profit Learning in Lockdown was created in partnership with Class of Your Own, Learn Live, EDT (The Engineering Development Trust)/Industrial Cadets and supported by Heriot Watt University, Topcon Positioning Systems and the Emirates Green Building Council.

The programme enabled students to access a high-quality experience that develops their employability, technical and business skills needed for a career in architecture, engineering and construction.

Almost half (46%) of the participants were female, 28% above the current level of female employment in the construction industry, while 10% were pupils with special educational needs and disability (SEND), a further 10% were learners with English as an additional language (EAL) and 24% were Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) students.

More than 150 industry experts from 37 UK contractors and consultants supported and promoted Learning in Lockdown. Together with students and lecturers from Heriot Watt University, they volunteered 224 hours between them. Many were on hand throughout the week to present sessions, mentor the students and answer questions.

The programme was created from Class of  Your Own’s current design competition – the Esteem Pavilion Challenge. Using the full breadth of STEM subjects and focusing on design, engineering, construction and sustainability themes, the students worked online in project teams to develop their own proposals for a realistic project set in a desert environment in Dubai.

Developing an energy-efficient design proposal put the students’ creativity centre stage, with submissions created using varied media from design and gaming software such as SketchUp, Minecraft, Fortnite Creative and social media such as Tik Tok, through to physical scale models. Highlighting the success of the programme, 40% of respondents said they are likely or very likely to consider a career in construction as a result of the experience.

Learning in Lockdown is accredited, meaning students who successfully completed the 30-hour work experience programme achieved Industrial Cadets Silver which they can use as a first step to a career in the industry. As evidence of their work experience, each student had to submit a detailed report with plans and drawings, giving them the opportunity to receive the Silver Level Industrial Cadets award and become part of the national Industrial Cadets network.

The interaction with industry and academia also helped teachers and careers leads achieve Developing Young Workforce and Gatsby Benchmarks information, advice and guidance outcomes.