Choose Your Future Carmarthenshire 2024:
Last Thursday, we were honoured to participate in the Choose Your Future Carmarthenshire careers fair, a collaborative effort by Careers Wales, Coleg Sir Gar, Carmarthenshire County Council, and Castell Howell Foods.
The event, hosted at Parc Y Scarlets, attracted students from Years 10 to 13 in Carmarthenshire and neighbouring areas, with parents joining later in the day, resulting in a total attendance of over 2500 individuals this year. The day provided an excellent opportunity for participants to explore diverse career options and pathways available across all industries.
The construction industry made a robust presence, representing various sectors. We were delighted to have esteemed partners, including Cyfle Building Skills, Lloyd & Gravell, Jones Brothers (Henlan) Ltd., J Randall, CITB, TAD Builders, PCR Global Ltd., Swansea Bay Construction Support Group, Castle Scaffolding, Morganstone, Tilbury, Andrew Scott, and Bouygues, join us for the event.
The atmosphere was buzzing with excitement for both employers and students. Companies, including ours, took advantage of the opportunity to showcase impressive projects and company setups. Notably, we were pleased to witness engagement from all students, regardless of gender – despite preconceptions – reflected by the inspiring women leading our and some of our partners’ stalls.
Our Executive Officer, Monique Jones, said,
“It is great to see such interest from the next generation – it’s equally as amazing to see girls approaching our stands with genuine interest, emphasising that this industry warmly welcomes them too. The industry is changing – there are more women in construction roles than ever before!
Engaging with students, parents, and educators was a privilege, enabling us to discuss the benefits of construction apprenticeships, various professions within the industry, and guide them toward our partners and specific sectors shaping the construction field.
Highlighting the significance of the Choose Your Future event, our Training Manager Lynette Daniels said,
“Events like Choose Your Future are crucial. They provide young people the chance to explore options beyond traditional academic routes.”
“As careers are not just about finding a job; they are about finding a passion, honing skills, and embracing opportunities that may not conform to conventional ideas of educational and academic pathways.”
Acknowledging the pressure on students to make future decisions, Mark Whitby and John Davies of CITB (the funding and training body of Construction England, Scotland, and Wales) said,
“We understand that kids in years 10 and 11 have an incredible amount of pressure to make a decision on what they want to do – days like today are important as we, as employers and businesses, can display career options – helping young people to make informed decisions.”
Apart from providing advice on apprenticeships and shedding light on different career paths within the construction industry, our team and partners guided students through a variety of virtual reality experiences.
This hands-on approach not only enabled curious students to actively engage in various construction tasks but also showcased the dynamic evolution of training methods in the construction field. The evident popularity of these simulations, as seen in the long lines of enthusiastic students waiting to participate, signals a promising interest from the upcoming generation of workers.
Whilst demonstrating the spectacular Futurescape VR, Cyfle Building Skills Shared Apprenticeship Coordinator, Euros Griffiths said:
“Days like this are integral for both students and our industry – they promote all the brilliant opportunities construction can offer in training and careers.”
“Giving students access to new industry exclusive technology is a chance to show people where the industry is going – revolutionising the stereotypical image associated with construction.”
After an excellent day of connecting with potential apprentices and interacting with fellow construction businesses, we want to express our sincere gratitude to Lynette Daniels, our Training Manager, for coordinating the involvement of our partners and team.