Getting women into construction with British Land
Last week the employment team, together with WorkPath, held an event for British Land aimed at helping women get into construction.
The aim of the day was to bring together volunteers from across different areas of British Land, introducing them to local people all looking for employment in the construction industry. It was a fantastic day, with eight volunteers meeting 14 local people, and some fantastic, live employment vacancies supplied by Avondale and Sir Robert McAlpine. We were able to not only help people get job ready by helping them construct their CV’s, but also to have a fun afternoon of mock interviews which culminated in the candidates turning the tables on the volunteer team. With the volunteer team consisting of 3 directors; 2 heads of departments; 2 managers and David Lockyer, the head of Broadgate himself, there was plenty of excitement and pressure to get the day right, as well as inspiration for the construction industry hopefuls.
All involved had a really great day as the candidates found speaking to such professional individuals highlighted areas of improvement they hadn’t considered before and the volunteers realised that talent comes in all shapes, sizes and backgrounds. Feedback from the event included:
“It was a brilliant session, the volunteers were a massive help.”
“Great to see so many professionals helping us – Thank you!!!”
“Fantastic relaxed set up and great the candidates and organisers were so engaged – loved it!!”
One key part I kept hearing from the candidates was how much of a difference it made hearing the volunteers career stories as it helped not only build a bond but showed that so many of the professionals had similar issues when getting their own careers started…it truly brought about a human connection and dispelled the ‘them an us’ thought.
A day that everyone embraced and enjoyed and we keep our fingers crossed that some of our participants actually end up in employment thanks to the support form ELBA and British Land.
