Celebrating National Apprenticeship Week at Beard

Throughout National Apprenticeship Week, our team has been busy working with organisations, employers and learners to celebrate career pathways into construction and showcase the work we do to support young people as they take their first steps into the industry.

We believe that the next generation of professionals deserves guidance, practical experience, and the chance to develop skills that will last a lifetime.

Building skills pathways

We are proud to be part of the Swindon & Wiltshire Careers Hub trailblazers group, an initiative designed to help young people explore the range of career pathways available in construction and develop the skills needed to succeed.

Beard colleagues were featured in their construction careers video series, including:

• Quantity Surveyor Lily Elder on why she wants to inspire more women to consider construction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5wd174JZPQ

• Trainee Site Manager Caio Da Silva shares why safety in construction is so important and how young people should make the most of the opportunities available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MoX5pK7JQU

Part of The Careers & Enterprise Company, we have also supported the organisation with their Boosting Skills Pathways Project, creating a wraparound resource for young people and parents that shares all the opportunities to start a construction career in the region. It is to be published soon.

Events and outreach

This week, we’ve been out in the community, meeting hundreds of students and organisations, celebrating apprenticeships, and raising awareness of construction careers:

• Supported by our Swindon based team Social Value Coordinator Hannah Phillips joined employers at the STEAM Museum for Appren-T-Fest , meeting young people curious about careers in construction. Hannah also attended Bloxham School careers fair, and South Gloucestershire and Stroud College to deliver careers advice and inspiration.
• In Oxford, Paula Baleson and Rachel Bird joined the Oxfordshire Inclusive Economy Partnership at Oxford City Council’s 4^th annual ‘meet the buyer’ procurement event, as part of the social value panel.
• At Reading university, Hannah and Paula attended the launch of an employer supported second year project for construction students. Over the next 5 weeks the team from Beard will be supporting students to build their skills by responding to a real life client brief, including judging and hosting a celebration event for the winning group.

Supporting young talent through T-Levels and apprenticeships

For 2025/26, we welcomed a cohort of T-Level students for the first time, marking an exciting milestone for our training programmes. Under the leadership of Bristol Social Value Co-Ordinator Bev Parfitt, we’re proud of our programme that uses 360-degree feedback to support students’ learning.

Before joining Beard six years ago, Bev had a successful career in education, latterly as a department director at a North Somerset boarding school, and she brings this expertise to support our students and trainees.

Importantly, we have embedded Essential Skills into our offer – communication, creative problem solving, self-management and collaboration, as outlined in the Skills Builder Universal Framework – a national standard for teaching essential, transferable skills. 

Those with Essential Skills have been shown to enjoy greater life satisfaction and can earn up to 12% more than their peers.

Looking ahead

National Apprenticeship Week is a reminder of the incredible potential that young people bring to our industry. We are committed to supporting them every step of the way – from T-Levels and apprenticeships to long-term career success.