The Stevenage Bus Interchange, handed over in 2022, saw our company deliver £114k Social Return on Investment (SRI) for Stevenage Borough Council.
This included 38 hours of careers support to students in years 10 – 13 at the nearby Barclay Academy. This involved mock interviews and support sessions covering personal branding, CV writing, goal setting, identifying skills and abilities and interview preparation sessions.
Following the project's completion, we continued our engagement with the academy. Nine members of our design management team facilitated 17 mock interviews with Year 11 and 13 students, as well as conducting 30-minute virtual interviews with the students. We then provided each student with detailed feedback.
Following our second round of interview support, the academy’s education and enrichment coordinator said:
“Yet again we are extremely grateful for the support Willmott Dixon gives to the school and it’s students.”
The mock interviews not only support the students in gaining valuable experience with, but it also supports the academy’s careers provision and measurements against The Gatsby Benchmarks, ‘Benchmark 5 – encounter with employers. The Gatsby Benchmarks are part of the Government's Careers Strategy and provide a clear way to support students in preparing them for their careers.
“As a school, experiences with employers are key. Giving our students insight and advice and guidance from industry professionals like yourself is invaluable”
- Belinda Jenner, Education and Enrichment Coordinator, Barclay Academy
This activity has provided a positive impact for every student and will be an ongoing programme of engagement for us with the academy to ensure we continue to provide a lasting impact within Stevenage.
