Creating meaningful social value is about more than inviting young people onto a construction site. It is about connecting education with real experience and giving students the knowledge and confidence to picture a future within the industry.
Strata recently welcomed students from East Riding College to our Anthem development in Beverley. Working with college staff and our site team, the visits were designed to take learning beyond the classroom and demonstrate how new homes are constructed, stage by stage.
During guided tours of the development, students explored the structure and layout of the homes and learned about the sequence of work involved in progressing from the early construction stages through to completion.
They saw different elements of the build taking shape, discovered how individual trades contribute to the finished home and had the opportunity to ask questions directly of experienced construction professionals.
The photographs from the visits capture the value of this practical approach, showing students engaging with the site team, examining work at different stages and experiencing a live construction environment for themselves. Feedback from the learners reflected the importance of these interactions.
✅ “It was great to see how the houses are built… up close”
✅ “I was inspired by the younger people already working on site”
✅ “I enjoyed learning what it’s like to be on a site and it was very good as I learned what I will be doing in the future”
✅ “it was great to learn more in depth detail on how houses are made”
✅ “I enjoyed interacting with people on site”
✅ “It was interesting learning about different stages of the build”
Importantly, the learning continued after the students left the site. Back at college, students from the first visit completed a classroom project explaining the difference between first-fix and second-fix joinery. Because they had witnessed the work first-hand, they were able to describe each process clearly, demonstrate their understanding and connect classroom theory to a real construction programme.
The visits provided much more than an enjoyable day away from college. They helped strengthen technical knowledge, communication skills and confidence, while increasing awareness of the wide variety of roles and career pathways available within housebuilding.
The success of the initiative was made possible through collaboration. Special thanks go to our Project Manager, Davy Clark, for sharing his knowledge and inspiring the students, and to Craig Leach from East Riding College, for helping to organise and coordinate the visits.
By opening our developments and sharing the expertise of our people, Strata is helping the next generation move from simply hearing about construction to understanding it, experiencing it and seeing a future for themselves within it.