Connecting young people through the Amey 'Chat and Learn'
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on young people’s mental health, their access to educational resources and their opportunity to connect with businesses to inform future career aspirations.
What did we do?
向back end of 2020 we launched a new initiative for young people called an Amey ‘Chat and Learn’. This gives young people the opportunity to request a 1-2-1 virtual career conversation with an Amey employee. The young person can choose what area of the business they are interested in to ensure they get connected with the right Amey employee. There is also an option for a teacher to request a group virtual career talk to a class.
During the pandemic 44% of girls/young women had discussed career options with their parents, compared with 30% of boys/young men and 27% of girls/young women compared to just 19% of boys had searched for careers information online (Engineering UK, Aug 2020)
Our virtual career talks aim to:
- Provide young people real life examples of Amey employees career paths
- Give young people the opportunity to ask questions to an Amey employee in their chosen area of interest
- Provide young people with the resources and tools to develop their essential skills
- Give young people information on the different career opportunities and pathways into Amey (e.g. apprenticeships/degrees etc)
- Give young people some direction in thinking about their careers
- Provide young people with the confidence and motivation to kickstart their career
The Amey 'Chat and Learns' are also a way for us to help inspire young people to take up STEM subjects and to pursue a career within this area. When asked whether they would be likely to consider engineering as a career, 44% of boys/young men answered yes as opposed to just 24% of girls/young women (Engineering UK, Aug 2020)
What impact did it have?
In 2020 we reached 116 young people through our 'Chat and Learns'. We received the following feedback::
- Rated 4.48 stars out of 5
- 100% said they are more aware about the different career opportunities available to them
- 81% said they have a better understanding about their chosen area of interest
- 90% had more confidence and direction about their career
- 86% would recommend an Amey Chat and Learn to other people their age
“I just wanted to say a huge thank you for the chat and Learn yesterday. We left him to it, and we were unsure what was said or how you delivered it, but he was really enthusiastic about his future. He is now keen to pursue a career in Health and Safety. This has given him a goal, so we are delighted he now has something to work towards.”Parent of a young person
"The person I spoke to was humbled and very good at explaining things. Also, Amey Chat and Learns allows prospective employees the opportunity to understand what actually goes on in the industry. A source of motivation.”Young person
“I learnt the different parts of the university application, how to stand out from other job applicants, what the job entails and what qualifications I need.”Young Person
"I am now more educated on the routes I can take to achieve my goals and understand more deeply the courses at university I should be considering.”Young person
“Thanks so much for organising this. The pupils found it engaging and it was well presented. They really enjoyed listening and got an idea of the company and the apprenticeships”Teacher of a young person