One of the region’s biggest construction firms has given students across Herefordshire an insight into careers in the sector through a pioneering new programme.
Multi award-winning firm McPhillips, which is delivering a new £10m transport hub in Hereford, was chosen as the delivery partner for a Marches Careers Hub pilot programme, designed to highlight career pathways in construction for young people across the region.
McPhillips delivered activities on construction sites or in construction-led classroom sessions at schools including Kingstone High School, Earl Mortimer College and Aylestone School, all in Herefordshire.
The pilot saw 230 students on site or in classrooms and engaged more than 7,000 learners in online activities across the Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin.
The programme, called Boosting Skills Pathways, was delivered by McPhillips’ social value co-ordinator Emily Myatt, working with the careers’ hub team led by Andriané Usherwood-Brown, strategic skills lead for careers, emerging talent & partnerships.
She said: “The sessions ranged from construction careers workshops and workplace safety simulations to CV development sessions, site visits and a large-scale Learn Live regional careers broadcast.
“We are indebted to Emily and the wider McPhillips team who volunteered their time over many months, and also to McPhillips’ leadership who committed and invested resources to this pilot programme which has been hugely successful.”
The Boosting Skills Pathways project is part of a nationwide pilot funded by the Careers and Enterprise Company and delivered by regional careers hubs.
Emily Myatt, social values coordinator at McPhillips, said:“‘Leading this programme has given us a chance to get into even more classrooms and showcase the range of careers options available to young people in civil engineering and construction.
“We’ve welcomed hundreds of youngsters onto our sites and into our training centre to share insight, knowledge and run hand-on activities to support their skills development and employability.
“Our commitment to the community in which we live and work is second to none, and part of that commitment is supporting the development of young people and also the future of our industry.”
McPhillips won the award of Community Champion in the 2026 Shropshire Chamber Business Awards, in part for its work with schools and colleges across the Shropshire and wider Midlands region.
Andriané added: “McPhillips didn’t just turn up for a single careers event — they designed and built a genuine programme around how they could support young people in career choices and the results speak for themselves.”
The McPhillips activity forms part of a wider Boosting Skills Pathways programme delivered by the Marches Careers Hub, which also saw over 2,000 students attend the Telford Skills Show, more than 1,000 visit the Shrewsbury Colleges’ Routes to Careers event and an EDT STEM work experience week (80 young people).
Schools, colleges and employers across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin interested in getting involved in the programme should contact the Marches Careers Hub at [email protected] or visit www.marchescareershub.co.uk
A video featuring the project can be found here
Captions:
Idsall School students on site at a McPhillip’s project in Telford
From left – David Bloor (Assistant course leader – Idsall School), Martin Hill (Project Manager), Connor Poole, George Wright, Andriane Usherwood-Brown and Emily Myatt
For more information contact Mel Boulter Be Bold Media, [email protected] or 01952 898121