As part of the community-first approach at Agratas, we are working with supply chain partners to increase opportunities for local students hoping to pursue a career in construction.

A teacher advising a pupil The project's steelworks contractor, Severfield, has recently adopted a local school to deliver the award-winning Design Engineer Construct! (DEC) Learning Programme.

DEC is an accredited learning programme for secondary-school students, which aims to promote and inspire the next generation of professionals into the construction industry by giving them a formal construction qualification based on industry standards.

The programme provides students with the opportunity to increase their knowledge of professional practice in the digital built environment through a programme of study that spans primary, secondary and further education. With a suite of small introductory projects and qualifications from Level 1 to 3, the latter with full UCAS points comparable to an A level, DEC supports access into the industry or higher education.

The 'Adopt a School’ scheme, created by social enterprise Class Of Your Own, is designed to sit alongside their DEC programme and enable the construction industry to form meaningful, long-term relationships with education providers and grow its own future talent pipeline.

Severfield have adopted the Blue School in Somerset following the success of our pilot DEC programme at IKB Academy in Bristol, which is being delivered out of the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus project.

We will be able to bring this experience and enthusiasm to support Severfield in delivering a structured and sustained programme of engagement tailored to the needs of both pupils and teaching staff, reinforcing a shared commitment to leaving a positive and lasting legacy in the communities where we work.

Students will benefit from direct engagement from members of the Agratas project team, as well as hands-on, practical experience and a clearer understanding of how classroom learning translates into real projects in the built environment and construction sector.

Our team's support and enthusiasm for the Bristol programme recently saw us nominated for DEC's Partnership of the Year award with Kerry Cruden, Social Value Manager, also shortlisted in the DEC Champion category.

The successful delivery of the DEC programme in Bristol has given us a blueprint we can share with our partners to support initiatives of their own, giving students the skills and knowledge required to forge a career in construction. We are delighted to be working alongside Severfield to upskill young people in Somerset and encourage them to think about a career in the industry.
Kerry Cruden Social Value Manager at Sir Robert McAlpine

Mark Woodlock, Headteacher of the Blue School, said: “It is a real privilege for The Blue School to be selected to adopt the DEC learning programme alongside the Agratas project. The school highly values the importance of DT, has a very strong reputation for its work in this area and this opportunity to work directly with employers will make a significant difference to the learning of our students. In particular, embedding this landmark Somerset project in a school that aims directly to serve the families in and around Wells is a major boost to the local area. By working together, we’ll support more of our young people to play a significant role in engineering, manufacturing and construction in the local community.’

Michaela Lindridge, Head of ESG at Severfield, said: “Creating a lasting legacy means investing in people and places for the long term. By adopting The Blue School in Somerset, we are building a partnership that goes beyond delivering steel in the region. Through consistent engagement, we are supporting DEC students, opening doors to future opportunities and helping to inspire the next generation of engineers and construction professionals.”

Alison Watson, Founder & CEO Class Of Your Own, said: “Adopting The Blue School gives students and teachers sustained access to a live, nationally significant project, not a one-off intervention. We’re delighted to work alongside Severfield, Sir Robert McAlpine and the wider Agratas team to enable DEC learners to see how engineering, manufacturing and construction come together to deliver clean transport infrastructure at scale. Together, we’ll provide curriculum-ready industry context and fantastic professional support for teachers and their students, building real understanding of skills, pathways and future careers linked directly to the Agratas project.”

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