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May Gurney has an important role to play in introducing young people to the opportunities of working in the construction industry. Research shows that young people don't know enough about construction and engineering to make an informed career choice. May Gurney's education programme is specifically designed to address this issue.
It includes partnerships with local schools and careers services (The Exchange and SetPoint). In particular, with the Hewett School, Norwich, where the company has assigned one of its managers to be a key link with the school - with the goal of putting 'engineering' on the agenda. As a result of the success of this initiative, the company is establishing a similar relationship with the City of Norwich School.
Moreover, the company has launched a practical initiative specifically targeted at 13-15 year olds - the May Gurney Challenge - to let them experience what it is really like to work in construction and engineering, and to see the diverse career options.
For one day, 50 students work with May Gurney to create an engineering solution for a fictional customer - they work in teams to research, design, budget, plan and build a 'device' that meets the brief given to them. The first Challenge was run with four Norfolk schools in July 2004 and proved so successful that the programme has since been extended to include Essex and East Sussex.
To consolidate this initiative, May Gurney aims to work with more schools to develop long-term programmes that put giving students practical experience of engineering and construction right at the heart of their 14-16 curriculum.
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