Forging Careers and Skills Development

The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) has argued that for the UK "developing the right set of skills and making full use of them in the economy is a recipe for higher productivity, growth and inclusiveness".

By creating meaningful employment and nurturing a culture of skills development businesses can affect real change and contribute significantly to the quality of life for individuals and the wider communities.

As part of the Cross Tay Link Road project, PKC outlined clear objectives in employability and skills development, taking into consideration current legislation, national guidance, and the Council’s Procurement Strategy.

As the main contractor, BAM Nuttall demonstrated a commitment to deliver on these key points and showed clear understanding as to the importance of investing in and improving the skill levels of all employees, and in providing opportunities for young people in communities across Perth & Kinross, and wider Scotland.

Jillian Ferguson commented, “The ultimate aim of the project’s community benefit requirements is to secure real economic and social benefit for our customers and communities.

“By tackling skills shortages and building new talent, we can ensure long term economic prosperity at local, regional, and national level. When projects such as CTLR offer work experience, adopt inclusive approaches to recruitment, and break down barriers for people from disadvantaged groups, everyone benefits.”

Recognising the ongoing skills shortage in STEM-based industries, the project’s Community Benefits team is currently rolling out a number of opportunities that will see the next generation of young people offered the chance to engage with the Cross Tay Link Road either directly through work experience, or via careers fairs and site visits.

Innes Mackintosh, Community Benefits Office commented, “When showcasing careers in the construction industry, it’s essential for young people to get to know the reality behind the hard hats and diggers.

“Over the past 18 months the team at CTLR has formed a strong working relationship with the Tayside division of Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) and together we have worked hard to ensure we are inspiring the next generation of engineers and construction workers. We attend careers fairs throughout the region, offer student site visits, and provide hands-on work experience opportunities in various roles."

1. Kinross High School and Blairgowrie High School Work Experience, 22/11/24
2. Blairgowrie High School Careers Fair, 19/11/24
3. Perth High School and Perth Academy Work Experience, 01/11/24
4. Letham Primary School Careers Fair, 04/09/24
5. Women into Trades and Beyond, Blairgowrie High School, 25/06/24
6. St John's Academy Career's Fair, 11/6/24
7. Work Experience, Kinross High School Students, 5/6/24
8. Work Experience, UHI Perth Students, Nov 2023 to May 2024
9. Work Experience, Perth High School, 28/5/24 and 29/5/24
10. Work Experience, Student Engineer (age 14), 13/05/24 to 17/05/24
11. Perth Autism Support Apprenticeship Information Evening, 28/03/24
12. Perth Apprenticeship Jobs Fair, 13/03/24
13. Developing the Young Workforce Careers Day, 22/11/23
14. Kinross High School Careers Fair - 300 students, 14/11/23
15. Developing the Young Workforce Careers Fair, 2/10/023
    
16. UHI visit by the Community Benefits Team, 15/9/23
17. Tommy Scott, Work Experience, Summer 2023
18. PKC Schools Career Fair- 2000 students, 28/03/2023
19. Perth Autism- Career’s Fair- 20 students, 30/03/2023
20. Breadalbane Academy Careers Fair - 900 students, 26/01/2023
21. Auchterarder High School Mock Interviews, 50 students, 20/06/2023
22. Blairgowrie High School, Mock Interviews, 09/06/2023
23. Viewlands Primary School, Poster competition, 25/04/2023
24. St John Academy Mock Interviews, 24/04/2023
    
25. Perth Autism Support Careers fair, 30/03/2023
26. Focus on Apprentices with Developing the Young Workforce, 28/03/2023
27. St John Academy Mock Interviews, 01/03/2023
28. Careers talk at Bertha Park High School, 27/1/23
29. Careers fair at Breadalbane High School, 26/01/2023
30. Blairgowrie High School Careers Fair, 15/11/2022
31. Student Placement, 30/7/22

See Also:

• University and College Visits to Site >
• Building Bridges and Schools Visits >

Kinross High School and Blairgowrie High School Work Experience, 22/11/24

Katie Dawson (S5) from Blairgowrie High School, and Rhys Fong and Jamie Colliar (S6) from Kinross High School attended one week's work experience from 18th November to 22nd November.

What do you hope to get out of this work experience and why did you want to attend?

Jamie – To see what the environment is like on site and find out more about engineering. My dad is mechanical engineer and it would be good to see the difference types of engineering. I’ve considered mechanical engineering but I am also interested in civil engineering. It will be good to have some practical experience on civil engineering and construction before I make my career and university choices.

Rhys – Civil engineering is what I’m interested in and I hope to be able to study structural engineering one day. I attended one day work experience earlier this year with BAM so was keen to come back and see what’s changed and to be able to spend more time here. I am interested in the digital side of engineering so I hope to be able to see how this ties into site work.

Katie – I hope to see what it's like to work in engineering on a construction site. It's also good to see what will be changing on CTLR, as being local, its good to see what’s affecting my local area. I’ve been on a site visit to CTLR with school before and I really enjoyed it. I’m studying Maths, Physics, and Engineering Science in S5 as I'm really interested in studying to be a Civil Engineer. I’m hoping this work experience will show me some of the different tasks an engineer gets involved in and to find out more about possible career paths.

What have you enjoyed the most?

J – I really enjoyed seeing inside the bridge. We were taken on the site tour by Paul Johnstone from SWECO and he explained all about the structure and the weight bearing . I also enjoyed speaking to Matthew Scott, the Assistant Engineer, and Cameron Hay, the Graduate Apprentice Engineer as they have both taken different routes into engineering so it was good to find out about that.

R – I enjoyed going through the bridge, seeing how the structure is built. I enjoyed seeing the 3D drawings and digital clash detection as I’m really interested in the digital side of engineering. It has shown me that I could be an engineer and still get involved in graphics. I also enjoyed hearing from Cameron Hay and Matthew Scott because they explained the differences in their paths into Engineering and BAM.

K – I’m in 5th year so I’m still deciding which courses to take next year and as I’ve been showing more of an interest in engineering this work experience has really helped me to find out more and how to decide on career paths. We spent the day with Matthew Scott and Cameron Hay and it was really interesting as we were helping set out where the white lines will be on the New Kingsway section to the Bridge using GPS. I enjoyed this. I also liked going through, and over, Destiny bridge.

Would you recommend work experience to others?

J – I would definitely recommend this to those students interested in engineering. It has given me a good idea on what happens onsite and what is expected from a Civil Engineer and how it compares to other types of engineer. There was a good range of activities and we had the opportunity to spend time with different people in a variety of roles. I was able to speak to a University graduate and a graduate apprentice which has helped me to make an informed decision on what I might like to do in the future. Overall it is a fantastic opportunity for young people to get a good idea and taste of the engineering world. And a chance to ensure that you are making the correct, personal choice for your career.

R – I would recommend it as it has given me an insight into the role of a Civil Engineer and a look at the work life on site. It was really useful to hear the perspectives of a University student and apprenticeship engineer as it has helped me to understand the difference paths into engineering qualifications. Being able to talk to workers was really useful and I appreciate their opinions and advice on career paths and what it's like to work on site. Overall I would recommend this experience as it has given a good look into the career of an engineer which can't be gained from online research.

K – I would recommend to students wanting to experience a real construction site because you can see what’s happening and the process. I liked going inside the bridge and seeing the supports and learning how the bridge was built in sections. I’ve learned about measuring and heights in the bridge construction process. I enjoyed measuring the rad markings with the engineers, these will form the positions for the white lines on the New Kingsway and it was really interesting to learn how this is done using GPS. I will tell people about this when the road is complete and how I was involved. I liked being driven around on site visit and seeing the new roads and ponds. Talking to the people on site and asking questions was really helpful.

Melissa Lawrence, DYW Project Officer for Blairgowrie High School, commented, "Katie really enjoyed her placement and liked working with you all. This was a great experience for her, and she will be able to add this to her UCAS/apprenticeship application. Thanks very much for accommodating Katie."

Steven McLaughlin, PT Guidance, Kinross High School, commented, "We have had amazing feedback from the students who participated on the work experience, they said it was so beneficial for their career choices and they really enjoyed the experience. Great to hear! Thanks so much for providing them with this opportunity."

Attended 1 weeks work experience at CTLR

Blairgowrie High School Careers Fair, 19/11/24

Over 400 pupils attended the annual Careers Fair at Blairgowrie High School where local businesses and organisations offered advice, and answered questions. Open from 1pm to 5pm the event was directly targeted at ages S3 to S6, with mandatory attendance. As well as this, S1 and S2 pupils were offered the opportunity to attend during the lunch period.

The Cross Tay Link Road project attended with a stand, providing information on careers in engineering and construction, as well as chatting to pupils about the project in general.

Melissa Lawrence, DYW Project Officer for Blairgowrie High School, commented, "Thank you so much to Ronnie, Amanda and Christine for attending the Careers Fair. It has been a pleasure working with Ronnie and Amanda and the CTLR team and thank you for supporting students through DYW involvement."

Perth High School and Perth Academy Work Experience, 01/11/24

This is the first in a series of Work Experience placements for senior school pupils, run in conjunction with Developing the Young Workforce (DYW).

Katherine Renfrew (S6) from Perth High School, and Ben Cunningham (S5) from Perth Academy, joined the team for one week from 28th October 2024.

What experience have you gained on your placement?

• K – Its been really useful to see what sort of work goes on in a Construction site. I'm interested in studying Civil Engineering and hadn’t realised how much additional tasks were involved.
• B – Its been good to see what goes on in a Construction Site. I don’t know if I'm going to study Civil Engineering and I wanted to try it out before deciding. I'm interested in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering so its been great to have work experience in Civils this week.

What have you learned that’s new to you?

• K – I've learned about construction and civils industry in general and have realised there is so much more to it than first thought.
• B – I didn’t realise how the industry staffing and employment worked and knowing that all the staff and resources will move to another site after this job is something I've never thought of!

What have you enjoyed most?

• K – The GPD Tracking at East Pier with Engineer, James Carcary.
• B – GPS Tracking and levels with James Carcary.

What are you hoping to study after school?

• K – I would like to study Civil Engineering at Aberdeen or Heriot Watt.
• B – I would like to study at university but I'm still deciding on what subjects I'd like to do. I'm currently studying Physics, Engineering Science, Maths, and Geography.

Letham Primary School Careers Fair, 04/09/24

To celebrate 60 years of Letham Primary School, a ‘One Day in my Life’ event took place on 4th September, 2024. Designed to inspire children to be whatever they want to be, the school arranged an informal, age-appropriate careers fair and invited local companies to take part.

With many of the children listing engineers as their preferred vocation, Cross Tay Link Road were asked to host a table. As an ex-pupil of Letham PS, Office Manager, Amanda McClintock, was keen to pick this up. She attended with Ronnie Carr, Sub Agent, and together they chatted to pupils about working life on a construction project, careers available and the training and qualifications required to get into engineering and construction!

They also ran the engineers building block challenge – who can build the quickest tower from drawings - took along PPE to try on, and a few old school photos form Amanda to show the connection between life at Letham PS and the Cross Tay Link Road!

Jo White, Letham Primary School Head Teacher commented, "I would just like to say a massive thank you for your support for our Career’s afternoon last week. It was so successful and it made my heart burst with joy seeing the engagement from the children. I hope that you enjoyed it as much as we did. I’m so grateful that you gave up your time to inspire our wee ones!"

Women into Trades and Beyond, Blairgowrie High School, 25/06/24

Ensuring positive pathways for women into trades is just one of the objectives laid out by Developing the Young Workforce, Tayside. Melissa Lawrence, the DYW coordinator for Blairgowrie High School invited members of the Cross Tay Link Road project along to a Careers Day focused on this. Six workshops were delivered to 96 young women moving from first year into second year, offering information on careers in trades.

• Amanda McClintock – Office Manager & Community Engagement Co-Ordinator
• Catherine Breton – Admin Pre Construction
• Isla Hill – Regional Bid Manager
• Katy McClintock – BAM Summer Placement Admin
• Melissa commented, "Thank you very much to you and your team for delivering workshops to our S2 girls on Tuesday. We thought the event was fantastic and pupil feedback was very good."

St John's Academy Career's Fair, 11/6/24

Working with the Developing the Young Workforce team, Ronnie Carr Amanda McClintock attended the June Career's Fair at St John's Academy where they engaged with around 250 pupils from first year to sixth year.

The aim was to demonstrate to pupils the many and varied opportunities that lie beyond school, and to offer opportunities for recruitment for the older pupils.

Jade Montgomery, DYW Co-ordinator, commented, "Thank you for taking time to attend our Career Fair. We were really pleased with how it went. Our young people came away with a lot of valuable career insight within all the different industries and knowledge of what different colleges and universities have to offer."

Work Experience, Kinross High School Students, 5/6/24

Rhys Fog and Thomas Wallace, 4th Year pupils from Kinross High School, took part in a work experience day on 5th June, when they were mentored by CTLR project personnel, James Carcary, Ross Grant, Glen Verney and Tommy Scott.

As well as exploring engineering works such as setting out, using GPS units, measuring onsite, and using maths in the real world, they also looked at the construction side of the project including inspection of temporary works, bridge and roads construction, calculations for working out rate of pour, and looking at drawings in BIM.

Work Experience, UHI Perth Students, Nov 2023 to May 2024

Robbie Strachan and Sarah-Jayne Barclay, UHI Perth students, joined the CTLR team on Fridays over a six month period between November 2023 and May 2024.

Studying Creative & Digital Media, Robbie and Sarah-Jayne added to their skill set with a Foundation Apprenticeship, which saw them take part in various activities and learning related to the production of creative and digital media outputs. This work took place both in the office and out on site and included the following:

• Site Visits to log progress and updates through the use of photography
• Planning and follow up with staff and contractors following open days
• Editing PowerPoints for Quarterly Public Meetings
• Creating Social Media posts during community benefit work
• Creating promotional posters and marketing materials
• Creating plans for Community Engagement Block Building Team session
• Attending Community Benefits events for photography and video records
• Creating video footage from interviews to record community benefit work

Robbie commented, "During my time with CTLR my favourite thing to take part in was helping organise and set up the Open Day. I enjoyed working with different organisations and interviewing contractors and staff.

Sarah commented, "I enjoyed the Site Tours and have really enjoyed seeing the Green Bridge development over the last 7 months. We have learned how to work in a professional environment and how to work with different stakeholders. I think this will benefit my future employment. We would love to have the opportunity to come back and do more.”

Work Experience, Perth High School, 28/05/24 and 29/05/24

• A group of five 4th year pupils from Perth High School took part in two days of work experience which offered them the opportunity to find out more about the following disciplines within Civils and Construction and to obtain an insight into the finer workings of a large scale project.
• Engineering - Including setting out, using GPS Units, measuring onsite, maths in the real world, community engagement engineer
• Administration Office Admin - Including skillsearch, certification, timesheets, community engagement, sub-contractor costs, invoices, direct project costing
  
• Construction - Including inspection of temporary works, bridge and roads construction, calculating rate of pour, looking at drawings in BIM
• Digital Design Surveys - Including drone (Earthworks etc), 4d modelling, drawings, clash detection, quality, ITC closeouts
• Infrastructure / Utilities - Including line search, permits, CAT scanning, desktop surveys and records

Work Experience, Student Engineer (age 14), 13/05/24 to 17/05/24

• Jaxon Fee from Preston Lodge High School, Edinburgh is a 14 year old student with a interest in engineering. His cousin, Alan Limerick is an Engineer with BAM Nuttall Ltd, and arranged a week long work placement at the Cross Tay Link Road site. Starting with a site induction that included the SF201 procedure, Jaxon moved on to shadowing and assisting with setting out and surveying, using GPS Units Measuring, viewing CAD drawings on BIM, and applying mathematics in real world situations.
• Jaxon said, “I really enjoyed the work experience at Cross Tay Link Road and would like to come back for further work experience if I could. I enjoyed learning about setting out and using the GPS Tools and it was great to see the concrete pour on the East Pier abutment of Destiny Bridge. Thank you to everyone for their time and I learned a lot”.

Perth Autism Support Apprenticeship Information Evening, 28/3/24

• The CTLR Project team has formed a close relationship with Perth Autism Support, offering many opportunities for the young people supported by the charity to engage with the project. This Apprenticeship Information Evening saw Ronnie Carr, BAM Sub Agent, discuss the benefits of the BAM Nuttall Apprenticeship schemes for the young people and their parents/carers.

Perth Apprenticeship Jobs Fair, 13/03/24

• Held at the Salutation Hotel, and hosted by Developing the Young Workforce, the Perth Apprenticeship Jobs Fair welcomed in a total of 493 young people from across the area. Innes Mackintosh, BAM Community Benefits Manager, was in attendance with a stand focused on engineering and construction based apprenticeships within BAM. He discussed the Cross Tay Link Road project at length with pupils, parents and teachers, offering an insight into the opportunities available in projects of this nature.
  
• Morgan McLeod, DYW commented, "A huge thank you to everyone for attending the 2024 Perth Apprenticeship Job Fair. This years event was even busier than last year with a whopping 493 attendees from a mix of schools and post school destinations.."
  

Developing the Young Workforce Careers Day, 22/11/23

• This one-day workshop for S5/S6 students at AK Bell Library in Perth offered young people from 11 secondary schools in Perth & Kinross, Dundee and Edinburgh the chance to participate in a one-day workshop where they designed a sustainable future. The were joined by circa 40 people from business and research in agrifood & environment, engineering & construction, energy, fashion & clothing, observers and participants from Education Scotland, and several third sector organisations.
• Working in groups, with research and industry experts in four key employment sectors - agri-food; energy; engineering and fashion, - they co-designed pathways to climate resilience and identified the skills and jobs needed to
  deliver these outcomes.
• Following the event, young people have been invited to apply for work experience placements at organisations in each sector, with BAM offering a place at Cross Tay Link Road for any interested students.
• David Boldrin, event organiser commented, "With the help of some SEFARI IKE funding, a novel approach to knowledge exchange and collaborative-work between high school, academic institutions and businesses was piloted by The James Hutton Institute researchers, with colleagues from BioSS, CREW, CXC and collaborators in local schools and careers advice organisations. The event aimed to give young people a say in how key economic sectors such as can become sustainable and resilient under a changing climate, and the types of jobs and skills needed to achieve these goals. It was very well received by all the groups of people involved and we hope to apply for further funding to roll out this approach to a wider geographic area and other employment sectors."
• Katie McClintock, St Johns Academy commented, “I found the presentation and information received from bam Nuttall and the other presenters has shown me that it is still possible to get into Civil engineering without going direct to university and it was really useful to have information on the apprenticeship schemes as another route to the career that I am aiming for."

Kinross High School Careers Fair, 14/11/23

• Aimed at 4th to 6th years, the Kinross High School Careers Fair invited students to meet with local employers and educators to help them understand and weigh up their options for their next steps. Innes Mackintosh discussed the BAM UK & Ireland apprenticeship scheme, explaining what was involved and the requirements for entry. In explaining that many Engineers, Quantity Surveyors, Designers and Planners came into their field via a combination of university and apprenticeship he offered alternative routes for students to consider, using the Cross Tay Link Road as an exciting example project.

Developing the Young Workforce Jobs Fair, 2/10/23

• The October Jobs Fair hosted by Developing the Young Workforce saw Shannon Mulholland, CTLR Community Engagement Officer, and Ronald Car, Sub-Agent on the CTLR project meet with DWP clients who were ready for employment. Discussing careers and opportunities within the CTLR project, as well as further afield with BAM UK & Ireland, the day proved to be a great success.
• Shannon commented, "There was a lot of interest in the project from the young people attending and we found it encouraging to talk to so many with an interest in engineering and construction. The Cross Tay Link Road itself is a real hook for opening conversations and getting people engaged."

UHI visit by the Community Benefits Team, September 2023

• Innes Mackintosh, Community Benefits Manager, visited a group of potential work experience candidates at Perth College UHI. The students involved are currently studying Digital Media and looking for real life projects to hone their communication skills. Innes offered a presentation around the CTLR project and a chance for questions and answers.
• Innes commented, "The project has so much going on at any moment in time, offering a perfect learning environment for a young Communications professional at the start of their career. We have pitched the opportunity to the group and expect a student to start work experience with the Comms team in early 2024."

Tommy Scott, Work Experience, Summer 2023

• Tommy Scott worked on the Cross Tay Link Road project under the watchful eye of the BAM UK & Ireland team on a 15-week placement over summer 2023. As a civil engineering student at University of Glasgow, the placement was a condition of his Institute of Engineering QUEST Scholarship.
• Read about his thoughts on his work experience with the Cross Tay Link Road here >