The jointly designed, bespoke one-year programme will support students from Rawlins Academy in Leicestershire, east central England – located just ten minutes from Tarmac’s Mountsorrel quarry – to develop the key skills, confidence and capabilities needed to enter professional employment.
The programme includes CV writing, presentation skills, learning business processes and leadership skills, and has been inspired by the Prince William Award, one of the leading schemes in the UK that is helping children to improve behaviour, engagement with school, social skills and attainment.
SkillForce’s instructors predominantly have an armed forces background and bring an extraordinary level of career and life experience, making them exemplary role models. The charity has helped tens of thousands of young people turn their lives around to realise their potential, and HRH The Duke of Cambridge has been its Royal Patron since 2009.
Martin Riley, Tarmac’s senior vice president, said: “This new programme will help to prepare pupils for the workplace by mentoring them in key skills and behaviours, giving them a great head start as they take their first steps into the professional world of work.
“We’re really proud to be the first business to partner with SkillForce on the prestigious new scheme at Rawlins Academy, which will support students to build on their Prince William Award and hopefully inspire some to take up an exciting career in the construction industry.”
SkillForce CEO Ben Slade said: “SkillForce is very excited to be working with Tarmac to deliver a programme which will provide so many benefits to young people - they face more pressure today than ever before and we must support them to develop the vital skills and character traits needed to be able to tackle the challenges of life and work, as well as embrace opportunities.”
Tarmac also works in partnership with the The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE), to enable more young people to better their life prospects and achieve the DofE Gold Award. Both partnerships are key components of Tarmac’s broad ranging and industry leading efforts to support young people in diverse career paths.
The company has around 8,000 employees and offers a huge range of career opportunities, from quarry managers and HR experts, to engineers and environmental scientists, as well as national apprenticeship and graduate schemes.
