Willmott Dixon: STEM Challenge and Experience of the Workplace (SEND)

Context

Oak Bank School is a specialist provision in Leighton Buzzard, Central Bedfordshire, supporting learners with social, emotional, and mental health needs (SEMH). Willmott Dixon has been delivering a major construction project near to the school, developing a new leisure centre in the town.

As many students at Oak Bank School are particularly interested in labour-based careers such as constructions, we saw a valuable opportunity to connect the school with Willmott Dixon. The partnership gave Year 11 and Year 12 students the chance to meet an employee, learn about the construction industry, explore different job roles, and get real, relevant labour market insights linked directly to where they live. It also meant students could take part in a meaningful employer encounter (Benchmark 5) and gain meaningful work experience (Benchmark 6), all shaped around what works best for them.

How it was done

Introduction

We set up a briefing between Willmott Dixon and Oak Bank School so everyone could get a clear understanding of the students, decide which groups would benefit most, and make sure all activities were age‑appropriate and accessible. These employer–educator conversations are key – they help tailor activities to students’ needs, make sure sessions are pitched at the right level, and ensure both the employer and the school understand the purpose of the visit.

Employability Day

Willmott Dixon delivered an introductory employability session that covered:

• An overview of Willmott Dixon and the construction industry
• A breakdown of roles within the sector and the skills required
• Insights into their local construction project in Leighton Buzzard

This session provided students with a meaningful employer encounter (Gatsby Benchmark 5) and relevant careers information and labour market insights (Benchmark 2).

STEM Day

For the second session, Willmott Dixon led a practical, team‑based STEM workshop designed to develop students’ communication, problem‑solving and teamwork skills. Activities included:

• Building a chair from only balloons and tape
• Designing and labelling a house
• Constructing the designed house using black card, paper straws, and tape

These hands‑on tasks allowed students to explore engineering concepts in an accessible and engaging way, and to perform an employer-led task with opportunities for feedback (Benchmark 6)

Site Visit

In the Summer Term, Willmott Dixon and Oak Bank School are planning a site visit to the local leisure centre project. This visit will give students the opportunity to:

• Experience a real construction environment
• Meet a range of employees in different roles
• See how the skills they have been learning about are applied in practice

Impact

This series of activities gave this group of Year 11 and Year 12 students valuable exposure to the construction industry, opportunities to work collaboratively to solve practical problems, and a deeper understanding of the labour market in their local area. This approach works well for students with SEND because it:

• Breaks activities into manageable stages
• Builds trust with a familiar employer
• Offers practical hands-on activities suited to diverse learning styles