McPhillips Partnership Engages Over 7,000 Students in Construction Career Pathways

More than 7,000 students across Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Telford & Wrekin have gained valuable insights into construction careers through a pioneering initiative led by McPhillips, the region’s largest construction company.

The multi award-winning firm was selected as the delivery partner for the Boosting Skills Pathways pilot programme, organised by the Marches Careers Hub. The project aims to expose young people to career opportunities within the construction sector.

McPhillips facilitated a range of activities, including on-site visits and construction-focused classroom sessions, directly engaging 230 students. Online activities reached a wider audience, involving over 7,000 learners throughout the region.

The programme was coordinated by Emily Myatt, McPhillips’ social value co-ordinator, in collaboration with the Marches Careers Hub team led by Andriané Usherwood-Brown, strategic skills lead for careers, emerging talent, and partnerships.

Andriané detailed the scope of the initiative, noting that McPhillips delivered 12 distinct activities across six schools: Idsall School in Shifnal; HLC and Woodlands School in Telford; and Kingstone High School, Earl Mortimer College, and Aylestone School in Herefordshire. The sessions encompassed construction careers workshops, workplace safety simulations, CV development, site visits, and a regional Learn Live careers broadcast.

She expressed gratitude towards Emily and the McPhillips team for their sustained volunteer efforts and acknowledged the company’s leadership for dedicating resources to the pilot, describing the programme as “hugely successful.” The Boosting Skills Pathways project is part of a nationwide pilot funded by the Careers and Enterprise Company and executed by regional careers hubs.

Emily Myatt commented on the programme’s impact: “Leading this programme has given us a chance to get into even more classrooms and showcase the range of careers options available to young people in civil engineering and construction.” She added, “We’ve welcomed hundreds of youngsters onto our sites and into our training centre to share insight, knowledge and run hands-on activities to support their skills development and employability.” Emily emphasised McPhillips’ strong commitment to community engagement and the future development of the industry.

McPhillips was recognised as Community Champion at the 2026 Shropshire Chamber Business Awards, partly due to its extensive work with schools and colleges across Shropshire and the wider Midlands region.

Andriané highlighted the company’s dedication: “McPhillips didn’t just turn up for a single careers event — they designed and built a genuine programme around how they could support young people in career choices and the results speak for themselves.”

The McPhillips-led activities form a component of the broader Boosting Skills Pathways programme by the Marches Careers Hub, which also included the Telford Skills Show attended by over 2,000 students, the Shrewsbury Colleges’ Routes to Careers event with more than 1,000 attendees, and an EDT STEM work experience week involving 80 young people.

Schools, colleges, and employers interested in participating in the programme are encouraged to contact the Marches Careers Hub at info@marchescareershub.co.uk or visit www.marchescareershub.co.uk.