Partnership Working with DYW
The Community Benefits and Social Value Strategy for the Cross Tay Link Road (CTLR) Project, clearly sets out Perth & Kinross Council’s aims to further improve the lives of local people, and to enable communities to thrive.
As the successful contractor, BAM UK & Ireland has embraced these principles and through the project team, has partnered with the Developing the Young Workforce Tay Cities (DYW) project to deliver on expanding and enhancing skills, and engaging proactively with educational institutions.
Over the past 18 months Innes Mackintosh, Community Benefits Manager for BAM UK & Ireland, has worked in conjunction with DYW to deliver opportunities for school age children to engage with the engineering, trade and construction industry.
We caught up with Morgan McLeod, Employer Liaison Officer for DYW, to find out more.
What is the DYW or Developing the Young Workforce?
Morgan: Across Tayside there is a pressing need to make sure young people have the right skills and experience to enter fulfilling careers and grow our local economy.
At DYW Tay Cities we facilitate meaningful partnerships between businesses and education providers to enable work-based learning opportunities for young people and better prepare them for their future career.
Linking our activity to labour marketing information, and priority sectors for the area, our aim is to ensure that more young people enter a positive destination when they leave education and start their career journey.
How does the partnership between DYW and CTLR work?
Morgan: Ours is an incredibly positive partnership and one we use as an example of how local businesses and employers can make a real difference. I regularly send Innes a list of upcoming events, including career fairs, schools’ visits and practice interview sessions, and he co-ordinates a team from the project to attend. I’m pleased to say, they’ve said yes to everything!
On the flip side, Innes has also approached DYW with project ideas and site visit opportunities, which we can then offer out through our network of schools. It’s a win win!
What type of project has CTLR brought to Perth & Kinross schools?
Morgan: The ‘Build a Bridge’ project in particular comes to mind as we recently piloted the new ‘metal’ design with Primary 6 children from St John’s Academy – and the response was incredible! Having a hands-on experience that brings engineering to life is often restricted to older age groups, but Innes and the team have adapted their project for all age groups and tailored their presentation so that everyone can enjoy and learn from it.
The engineers present were really knowledgeable and engaging. I think because it’s a local project the young people really feel like it belongs to them - they can see the work happening and now, after the visits, they feel part of it.
How important is it for school visits to be hands on like this?
Morgan: All visits from employers are great, and everything from careers fairs to presentations help to inspire our young people. With something as unique as the bridge building though, it offers that little bit more. Seeing the kids get into PPE (personal protection equipment) and watching them all work in teams to get their bridge to hold is really exciting and we’re hoping we can use this as a showcase for other employers to encourage them to create similar events for other industries.
As an organisation, seeing this great response to the hands-on workshops has inspired us to do something new and this Spring we’re launching the ‘Introduction to Trades and Beyond’ Scheme which CTLR will also support.
Innes Mackintosh, Community Benefits Manager for BAM UK & Ireland commented, “We thoroughly enjoy our partnership working with DYW and have been really impressed with the work that they do throughout Perth & Kinross. From careers fairs to mock interviews, site visits to work placements, we’ve found a fantastic route to helping thousands of young people locally.”
Jillian Ferguson, Roads Infrastructure Manager for PKC commented, “By boosting employment opportunities, expanding and enhancing skills, and engaging proactively with educational institutions, it is our hope that we can leave behind a legacy that will benefit generations to come. Our partnership with the DYW does exactly this.”
If you’d like to arrange a visit to your school, or need more information on how DYW and the CTLR Community Benefits Team can help you, please contact Morgan McLeod: [email protected].
Twitter / X - @DYWTayCities
LinkedIn - @Developing the Young Workforce Tay Cities
Facebook - @Developing the Young Workforce, Tay Cities
Instagram - @dyw_tc
You can also meet Morgan, Innes and the team at the CTLR West and East Community Meetings on 30th and 31st January.