Opening doors to STEM: Esh Construction’s quiet contribution to regional skills

With deep roots in the region, Esh Construction has quietly become a leader in STEM education support, reaching nearly 20,000 young people over the past decade.

It has also earned a status of being a contractor that delivers not just building infrastructure, but futures too.

For Darush Dodds, director of corporate affairs, the company’s commitment to education is embedded in its core values, and he is proud of how Esh’s work with primary schools enables children to imagine their futures from the earliest stages of their education.

He says: “Our Constructing Local strategy – evolving from our experiences in the education sector over a 15-year period – is built on changing perceptions, raising aspirations and making people more employable for whatever job route they plan to go into in the future.”

Esh’s journey into STEM outreach began in 2015, when the team spotted an opportunity to do things differently.

Darush says: “Despite having a broad offering in the education space, we saw the potential to do more – to be trailblazers – by creating a programme that was different to anything we’d seen previously, but which upheld key education principles.

“That was, in a way, induced by the ever- changing procurement landscape and the social value it delivers.”

The answer lay in primary education – an area where employer engagement was notably limited.

With teachers wanting learning outcomes that construction could help deliver, Esh explored ways to bring the industry into the classroom.

From building brick walls to teach dexterity, to using site activities to teach maths and geography, the possibilities were endless.

The result was Esh’s Get into STEM programme, a hands-on interactive classroom session and activity kit designed to introduce children to the world of construction.

Darush says: “While the kit has changed to include foam bricks, measuring equipment and personal protective equipment, the real magic comes through the engaging storytelling, which gets youngsters on their feet and acting out potential future roles.”

Teachers quickly expressed value in the initiative, with the programme growing rapidly to include a two-week loan model, which allowed teachers to integrate the kits into lessons and play.

While measuring the long-term impact of such programmes is notoriously difficult, Esh is clear about the value its work brings, and it has received several accolades.

These include Business in the Community’s National Business Education Partnership Award, the National STEM Ambassador Network’s Programme of the Year and the Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Promoting Opportunity and Social Mobility.

Fast forward ten years and Esh’s STEM kits – delivered by colleagues from an education or training background – have reached almost 20,000 young people, with feedback from teachers and pupils driving continuous improvement.

Esh has visited 413 schools in that period, delivering 481 sessions, with 5148 students engaged in the last academic year alone.

For Esh, supporting STEM education isn’t a bolt-on – the business benefits are clear.

Delivering high quality education outreach brings the business closer to the communities it serves and supports the development of its future workforce.

Collaboration with the North East Combined Authority’s North East Ambition programme has seen 3000 additional students develop a wider understanding of STEM-related construction careers through Get into STEM.

Looking ahead, Esh is ambitious about the next five years.

Darush adds: “The North East is undergoing rapid transformation, where opportunity is abundant and evolving.

“But we need to take more businesses into the classroom, from early years through to post-16 education, because visibility matters.”

Beyond inspiring early years pupils, Esh backs up its Get into STEM programme with Construction in the Curriculum and Building

My Skills programmes for key stage three and four students.

Providing targeted workshops built around construction roles, Esh strives to ensure teenagers remain engaged as they progress through the education system and into the working world.

Darush says: “If we want to inspire the next generation, we must show them what’s possible.

“We must demystify industry, humanise roles and make career pathways tangible.”

Ultimately, Esh’s aim is to change perceptions and make construction an attractive career route.

Darush says: “Our job as a regional business, regardless of the sector we work in or are passionate about, is to help educators prepare the future workforce.

“But if we can’t influence young people within our sector and the knowledge we hold, then we can’t ask them to change their aspirations either.

“We must show them what’s out there, regardless of their age, because you can’t be what you can’t see.”

In a region where half a million people are not working but could be, Esh’s education offer is a small but vital part of a much bigger picture.

Esh Construction stands out as a contractor that’s inspiring future talent and championing the next generation of construction professionals.

Darush adds: “We’re raising aspirations and improving employment prospects.

“And I’m really proud of that.”

 

Esh Construction

To find out more about Esh Construction and its STEM outreach work, visit www.eshgroup.co.uk

LinkedIn: Esh Group