Research tells us that young people who experience meaningful encounters with employers while still at school have increased future earning potential and are less likely to find themselves ‘not in employment, education or training’ (NEET).

So, if we can get these ‘meaningful encounters’ right, we can make an enormous difference to the future lives of young people.

Here at CYT our work is grounded in creating in a range of opportunities for young people to interact with those working in the construction and built environment sector.

Through site and workplace visits, work experience placements and employer-led workshops, young people get a real feel for the working world, develop their employability skills and learn what life is like in the construction industry. These are all valuable steps towards a bright career – but it is the interaction they have with the industry volunteers themselves that can really create that spark of inspiration to lift them to the next level.

I see every day the huge impact that meeting a volunteer working successfully in industry, particularly someone who young people can relate to in some way, can have on engagement levels, motivation, and subsequent development. This is why we actively seek industry volunteers to support all the activities and sessions we deliver – with 1,033 from 237 organisations supporting us last year.

Many of the young people we work with face barriers to reaching their full career potential and do not have access to the networks that young people from more privileged backgrounds might have. Consequently, meeting an inspirational volunteer from industry and hearing about their career journey can often be the impetus behind a young person deciding to apply for a specific role and pursue a career path they may not have considered – or may have previously considered out of reach.

Young people tell us how powerful it can be to meet a successful role model from a similar background or lived experience to them. Of particular value are events where our alumni return to inspire the next year’s cohort after they have started their career journey. A great example of this is the ‘Live Vacancy’ event we ran recently for young people thinking about their post-18 choices. The line-up of presenters included two young apprentices, Kazim and Mohammed (pictured), who had been in exactly the same position only a year previously. Kazim and Mohammed sparked an outstanding level of engagement with the group and the young people visibly grew in confidence throughout the Q&A as they interacted with our two young professionals.

However, a word of advice from young people: it is important that ethnicity is not seen as a shorthand for relatability. While it’s important to have a diverse range of role models, young people tell us that a volunteer’s life experience and route into the sector are also important characteristics and essential to relatability. A shared lived experience is crucial to engaging a young person in an industry or career where they may struggle to see themselves represented.

So, what makes a relatable volunteer? It’s clear that, while ‘relatable’ means different things to different young people, key characteristics include:

• A similar socio-economic or educational background
• A career pathway not reliant on networks or family
• A deep understanding of how it feels to be in the shoes of the young person, perhaps even the exact same situation.

Relatable role models

Through our work, not only do we create environments where young people are able to make industry connections with our employer partners, but we aim to provide volunteers who make relatable role models for participants. We hope the young people we work with find confidence and self-belief from their shared lived experience and the aspiration to strive for the same outcome for themselves.

The power of the relatable volunteer is great indeed – the ability to turn encounters into meaningful experiences that lead to successful careers and bright futures.

If you relate well to young people and are willing to share your lived experience, we’d love to hear from you. Just contact us at hello@constructionyouth.org.uk to find out how you or someone in your company could become one of our industry volunteers and play a role in inspiring the generation of industry leaders.

Pearl O’Keeffe has over 15 years’ experience of working with young people both in the FE sector delivering construction courses and apprenticeship frameworks, and more recently as Head of Programmes at CYT. Pearl is passionate about raising young people’s aspirations and awareness of careers within the construction industry.