ABOUT THE CASE STUDY
The challenge
For many young people, particularly those facing additional barriers, access to meaningful employer engagement can play a significant role in shaping future aspirations and career choices. Through our partnership with Bristol Works, we have worked to bridge the gap between education and employment by providing students with opportunities to engage directly with industry, build confidence and gain insight into careers they may not otherwise encounter.
The stories behind the numers Bristol Works team:
“MCS have been fantastic supporters of Bristol WORKS this year, and they’ve played a huge role in helping young people connect with the construction sector.
Through a wide range of opportunities, they’ve helped students build their confidence and understanding of the industry and discover the many different pathways available. We look forward to continuing to work with them!”
What we did
During 2025/26, MCS delivered 16 employer engagement activities through Bristol Works, reaching more than 670 students across 11 schools and contributing 75 hours of support.
But the real impact lies beyond the numbers. By connecting students directly with industry professionals, we are helping them build confidence, challenge perceptions and make more informed decisions about their future.
This included
- Women in Construction and Engineering sessions, bringing together a range of female professionals in the industry to talk about their career experiences and inspire young women.
- Careers talks and assemblies focused on pathways into construction and the wider built environment.
- Interactive, hands-on workshops such as engineering challenges and bridge-building activities.
- In-house work experience placements, giving students direct exposure to a live working environment.
- Specialist sessions such as “Meet the Apprentice” and careers carousels, providing relatable insights into career journeys.
- Dedicated engagement with SEND students through supported office visits and tailored activities.
The difference we made
The impact of this partnership can be seen not only in the scale of engagement delivered, but in the confidence and ambition it has helped create amongst participating students.
Feedback collected following activities with Oasis Brightstowe demonstrated clear improvements in students’ awareness and aspirations. Following an in-house work experience programme:
These outcomes demonstrate the importance of sustained employer engagement. By providing relatable role models, practical activities and exposure to real working environments, students gained a clearer understanding of career opportunities and greater confidence in their own abilities.
For many, the experience helped transform construction from an unfamiliar industry into a realistic and achievable career option.
of students agreed
the session was useful
of students said they would use the information to inform future decisions
of students reported increased confidence following the session
of students would recommend the experience to others
The stories behind the numers - Elio, Bristol Works:
“Thank you both so much for today! I thought the session worked really well and it seems like the messaging around apprenticeships has landed as I’ve had quite a few discussions about it in the one to ones with young people so far today. I loved the bit where you talked about the STAR method and showed how you could use the activity to write a really good interview answer.
This group can really struggle to reflect on and express their skills sothat was a super useful message for them, and one that I’ll try and go intoa bit more with them in the future.
Always nice to have the building activity to get them up and moving around as well – they loved that”.
Why this matters
Our partnership with Bristol Worksdemonstrates how long-term collaboration between employers and education providers can create lasting social impact. By supporting young people before they make key education and career decisions, we are helping to raise aspirations, improve employability and ensure future
generations have access to meaningful pathways into skilled employment.
As this partnership continues to develop, MCS remains committed to providing opportunities that not only inform young people about careers in construction an engineering, but give them the confidence and support needed to pursue them.
