Read sixth form student Mary's review of our Budding Brunels programme with Vinci Construction UK.
Budding Brunels
Budding Brunels is an OCN accredited programme providing industry-led careers guidance for Year 12 students.
Ariel's Story
Find out how the Budding Brunels programme helped Ariel secure an apprenticeship in construction!
How it works
Budding Brunels is a schools engagement programme aimed at informing and inspiring students from disadvantaged backgrounds about higher education and career options within the construction industry.
The Open College Network accredited course gives students a unique chance to gain first-hand knowledge of how the industry works as well as the opportunity to gain valuable work experience.
Over the course of a 3-day workshop, students are given presentations from different construction professionals, visit a site and also a university or technology centre.
For students who excel during the workshop, work placements are also available providing valuable experience that may be used to enhance UCAS applications and future employability. However, all participants stand to gain from this employer-led programme, which reaches students at a key decision making point in their academic and personal development.
Through Budding Brunels we aim to increase social mobility within deprived communities and open up the doors to new opportunities for these young people.
Benefits for students
- Chance to gain valuable insight into the wide range of opportunities available within the sector
- Opportunity to speak to industry professionals and gain first-hand knowledge of how the industry works
- Take part in a site visit or educational visit to see the industry in action
- Opportunity to gain valuable work experience
- Something to add to your CV whether that is participation in the project or work experience
Benefits for supporters
- Demonstrate CSR to your stakeholders
- Demonstrate commitment to the communities you work in
- Strengthen your brand values
- Generate positive PR
- Open a dialogue with local training providers and have the opportunity to shape existing and future training for the benefit of the industry
- Receive a glimpse of the ambitious talent emerging in young students
Yvonne Brewster, Careers & UCAS Coordinator, Brooke House College
‘The Budding Brunels project is an absolutely fantastic opportunity for young people who are curious or keen to pursue careers in Construction & the Built Environment to find out more. The BSix students who attended have all come back to college much clearer about the opportunities open to them, more confident about what is really involved and really motivated to succeed.
Three of them have even been able to secure work placements as a result of the project, which is invaluable to them going forward especially when they are later applying for related university degrees.’
Martin Childerhouse, Project Director, Mace
‘Budding Brunels is a great forum to engage with enthusiastic young students and offer an insight to the great variety of work we do in the construction industry. Feedback during the event was fantastic which gave my team enormous satisfaction. We are now looking forward to engaging on a 1 to 1 basis with students during their placements to further enhance their understanding of this exciting industry.’
Contact
Ben Churchill - Schools & FE Coordinator - T: 020 7467 9547 - E: ben.churchill@cytrust.org.uk
