Our Year 12 Built Environment Learners were were invited to the event from the Mayor’s Fund for London “The Power of Work Experience” hosted by Heyne Tillett Steel at their Shoreditch HQ. This was a fantastic opportunity for our learners to talk to industry experts about careers in fields like architecture, design, construction and more – with exciting opportunities to learn more about unique work experience placement with leading employers.

The event started with a panel of young professionals from the Built Environment industry including architecture assistants, property consultant and account executives. Learners got to hear first-hand accounts of their career journey and how work placement and apprenticeship have opened countless doors for them. One success story came from Building Futures Alumni Kehinde who works as an architecture Assistant at Morris+Company. He shared his experience on how work placements have helped him realise the power of “investing” in himself, how putting himself out there has given him the opportunities to meet mentors and people from all walks of life. It was work experience that has given him the confidence to pursue his dreams as an architect. He added that he did not realise being an avid gamer could later be an advantage in picking up architecture software quickly. He also shared other skills gained during his placements at architecture studios.

The second part of the event was the networking segment where our learners went around the room to talk to potential employers from the Built environment Industry. During this time, they introduced themselves and were encouraged to talk about their aspirations and ask questions on pathways that could lead them to their dream career.

During the event we caught up with one of our LDEUTC alumni from September 2022 Yunus, who is now working at Heyne Tillett Steel. It was great watching him talking to our year 12 learners about being an apprentice and the responsibilities within his role of civil engineering.

Built Environment Teacher Andrew commented, “Our learners have spoken to multiple leading employers that have given them valuable advice. Opportunities are everywhere, they just need to listen, explore and grab them!” 

Janice, our Careers and Employer Engagement Lead introduced Access Aspiration to our year 12 learners 2 years ago, both to support our careers programme and commitment to providing opportunities and to boost future engagement opportunities. The programme offers young people further visibility into the future world of work, pathways and networking.

We urges all learners to consider participating in this programme to build confidence and gain access to potential future employers and experiences.