Work experience in the East
The East business runs an annual work experience programme from each of its four office locations – Cambridge, Norwich, Ipswich and Chelmsford – introducing teenagers in the area to construction and the many roles available in the industry. The aim of the programme is to inspire the next generation and encourage them to pursue a construction career in the future.
Established in 2016, by Helen Clements, Senior Social Value Manager in the region, the programme has reached hundreds of young people, with several going on to join our apprenticeship scheme. This year Helen passed over the reins for the work experience programme to some of our apprentices and they’ve taken the formula and raised it to the next level. Being so fresh in their careers they have brought new ideas and relatable experiences.
Over the years the team has established key partnerships with schools across the region enabling them to promote work experience opportunities directly through them. There are always 100s of year 10 students looking for work experience and many won’t have considered the variety of options available in construction.
A new work experience programme designed and delivered by current apprentices
Apprentice Site Managers Fatima Saidykhan and Josh Nelson and Apprentice Quantity Surveyor Fay Emery worked hard behind the scenes redesigning the programme and resources, planning construction activities for the students, and lining up key contributors.
Fatima, Fay and Josh delivered the first work experience week in Norwich, which paved the way for the Ipswich work experience week and the programme going forward. This apprentice-led approach to the programme has been really beneficial to the students who found the team relatable and easily approachable, resulting in excellent engagement with the activities throughout the week. Read more about the Norwich work experience week in Fay’s article here.
2024 work experience week in Ipswich
Find out what's happened during the full week!
The day started with an introduction to Morgan Sindall Construction’s core values, followed by a session where students had to guess the job roles of people within our team.
Next students visited Concertus Design and Property Consultants where the team there delivered an Architect’s brief. Students were tasked with working in teams to create a floor plan for their project, using the project schedule of accommodations provided. Each team interpreted this differently and we were presented with a variety of unique designs.
These designs were further developed during the Structural Engineer’s brief before finishing with our pyramid challenge and tetrahedron activity.
Day two kicked off with a sustainability activity delivered by Sustainability Manager, who encouraged students to think about the materials used in construction and the impact these have.
Next, Fay delivered a Quantity Surveying activity, where students were tasked with choosing materials for their building and then forming a cost plan for their projects. The key being to consider cost and sustainability.
We then circled back to sustainability and finished the day by calculating the carbon lifecycle of the students’ chosen materials.
Day three involved a trip to London, starting with an amazing view of the city from the 58th floor of the Horizon 22 viewing platform. Students were able to see across London and compare old and new construction.
Next stop was at our sister company Overbury’s Bishopsgate project, where the team delivered a presentation about the project and a site tour.
The afternoon task involved students building the tallest tower possible out of paper and tape, the aim being to hold as much weight as possible once complete. The structural engineering facts from day one came in handy.
The day started with a CV and interviews workshop lead by Nicola, preparing students for future job prospects and improving their employability skills.
Next students undertook a planning activity, and tasked with creating a programme for their projects, relating this back to the cost plan to see how it all linked together.
The Site Manager’s logistics plan followed, and we discussed what our construction site requirements might be and where best to place these items. Students added this to their site plans ready for their presentation on the final day.
To finish, students took part in our Virtual Reality (VR) health and safety headset training, the highlight for most, as they were able to interact with the video and spot the hazards.
The final day of the programme started with a LinkedIn activity delivered by our Regional Marketing Manager, covering what the platform is, why it is important and how to use it.
The final task for the students was to create and deliver a presentation about their projects including everything they learned during the week. They presented to an audience of some of our team who were able to join us in the office.
Student feedback
Interesting, not what you expect construction to be like. It opens your mind on how every day is different in construction and the different opportunities there are. It's not just bricklaying or the physical side of things.
Excellent! Really engaging and the staff are lovely. I really enjoyed it and I’m confident that this week has changed my life in respects to what I will be doing in the future.
Everybody in the company is extremely welcoming and made me feel like part of the team, I can see from only a week that working for Morgan Sindall is like being with family as everyone is so close. The experience is so interactive and there was a vast number of opportunities and tasks that we completed. I never thought I would work in construction; however, this is definitely my first option, and I would be extremely happy to be working with Morgan Sindall and I am hoping that I would be given an opportunity to be part of the apprenticeship programme.
What’s next?
Has this blog inspired you to find out more about a career in construction? If so, why not give one of our work experience weeks a try? The team has now launched the Morgan Sindall schools work experience weeks for the East for 2025. If you know of any students who might be interested, please share the link with them. The five-day programme will involve designing, planning, costing, and managing a project with help from industry professionals.
Dates and locations
Cambridge W/C 12 May 2025
Norwich W/C 9 May 2025
Ipswich W/C 30 June 2025
Chelmsford W/C 7 July 2025
Apprentice Site Manager Fatima Saidykhan said:
The highlight of the week was the London site visit at Overbury which the students really enjoyed and found interesting.
Despite the fact the students all came from different schools they have built their confidence and collaborated incredibly well with their teams and as a result some have created friendships.
Apprentice Quantity Surveyor Fay Emery said:
I am so proud of the programme we have developed, organised, and delivered, and to be able to share this with students who will hopefully join our industry in the future was a pleasure. If anyone has capacity to host work experience, I urge you to do so, to make a difference to young people and the future of the industry.
Throughout the week Fatima, Nicola and I have watched the students’ confidence and knowledge of construction grow, and it was lovely to conclude the week with their presentations. We were amazed by the high quality of their presentations and the amount of effort they had all put in. We are immensely proud of all of the students!
Key stats from the week:
8/12 students had a vague interest in construction at the start of the week
12/12 students had a keen interest in construction at the end of the week
12/12 students asked for extra work experience with Morgan Sindall Construction
10/12 students said they will be applying for our apprenticeship in the coming years
The stats above demonstrate how beneficial work experience is and the impact you can make on young people.
Apprentice Site Manager Josh Nelson said:
It is more apparent now than ever that the industry is struggling with a shortage of young people who are interested in joining the construction industry. Construction is not always advertised, or at the top of the schools list of industries to promote to students. Getting involved in work experience was a great way to get a wide variety of students from different backgrounds, schools and with different skillsets interested and engaged with what our industry has to offer, including the potential career paths they could take and broadening their overall awareness of the built environment. It was great to see that following the week we had many students who are now actively seeking a role in construction, who had they not attended a week’s work experience, would not have known of the paths available to join the industry.
Social Value Apprentice Nicola Biggs said:
At Morgan Sindall Construction in the east, the social value team, supported by our wonderful apprentices are all about creating those meaningful experiences of the workplace, the moments where you can see the light switch on and they get it, how day by day the activities they do all link together to make something special.
Learning how it all comes together from designing with architects, choosing sustainable materials, planning on Gantt charts, estimating their build cost within budget and the Quantity Surveyor (QS) keeping a tight purse, looking at construction methods, considering health and safety when planning their site layout and delivering it to us at the end of the week.
This experience could inspire someone to realise that this is an achievable career path for them. Especially when they get feedback at the end of the week about the skills they have and what they could do to develop further… Tips and pointers, you’re already good at these things, and this is how you could be outstanding…
Senior Social Value Manager, Helen Clements said:
I would like to give a huge shout out to Fay, Fatima and Nicola. They have taken what has been my baby, nurtured for seven years, and taken it to another level. Adding in some new elements, such as giving feedback to every student on the Friday of each week.
At the end of 2023 I proposed to the Senior Leadership Team that it would add value if our year one and two apprentices led our work experience weeks, and they agreed. They have not only added value but have taught me that letting go of something you love is the right thing to do and although very hard for me, my instincts were right. It further developed the apprentices and their project management skills (and for those that have never run a programme like this, please rest assured the work that goes on behind the scenes, leading up to the weeks and during the week is humongous, all whilst still doing their day jobs).
Well done all three of you, you not only shone both weeks, but have inspired and given 26 students confidence and an experience that will support them into their futures.
