Inclusive reach and early years

Supporting early engagement in construction and built environment careers, particularly for schools and underrepresented groups.

Who it’s for:
Schools, educators, outreach programmes

What you’ll find:

- School engagement projects

- Early-stage learning activities

- Inclusion-focused programmes

Explore our case studies

START Skills Hackathon

Audience
Students aged 14–18 interested in developing entrepreneurship, innovation and sustainability skills.
What it helps with
Building confidence in problem-solving, teamwork, design thinking and entrepreneurship while increasing awareness of careers in construction, engineering and net-zero innovation.
Impact
- 86% gained a better understanding of entrepreneurship.
- 70% showed interest in net-zero, construction or engineering careers.
- 85% felt more confident about turning ideas into jobs or businesses.

Find out more
Stemovators

Sparking curiosity and building STEM skills in schools across Scotland for nearly 40 years.
Audience
Primary and secondary school pupils, teachers, and schools.
What it helps with
Practical, hands-on STEM learning activities for classrooms, year groups, and whole schools — supporting teachers to deliver engaging science, technology, engineering, and maths sessions.
Impact
- Builds technical skills alongside confidence, creativity, and curiosity in young people.
- Encourages excitement about future careers in STEM through fun, practical learning.

Find out more
Powering Futures

Connecting Scottish secondary schools with businesses to build real-world sustainability skills and lasting industry relationships.
Audience
Secondary school pupils, teachers, and Scottish businesses and employers.
What it helps with
Sustained partnerships that give young people an authentic experience of sustainability challenges, going beyond one off interactions to build meaningful, ongoing engagement.
Impact
- Reached over 7,000 young people and 180+ businesses across 125 secondary schools.
- Delivered real change: solutions developed by young people have been implemented by organisations including Lothian Buses, Scottish Water, and SSEN Transmission.

Find out more
Equal Engineers

A year long mentoring and development programme bridging the gap between engineering study and professional careers.
Audience
Engineering, technology, and related discipline students, and employers looking to diversify their talent pipeline.
What it helps with
One-to-one industry mentoring, employability workshops, emotional intelligence training, and access to placements, internships, and graduate roles. It builds the confidence and connections students need to move from education into work.
Impact
- Boosts confidence, inclusion, and work-readiness for students entering the engineering profession.
- Gives employers access to diverse emerging talent while strengthening their recruitment and EDI strategies.

Find out more
Engineering Development Trust

A UK-wide accredited awards scheme connecting young people aged 9–21 with industry based STEM experiences and pathways to employment.
Audience
Young people, educators, and employers across the UK.
What it helps with
Accredited, industry-based experiences mapped against a skills and competency framework. It helps young people explore STEM careers while giving employers a recognised structure for meaningful engagement with education.
Impact
- Delivers 50,000+ accredited experiences each year through the Industrial Cadets Awards.
- Increases diversity in STEM by inspiring young people from education through to employment, with the patronage of His Majesty King Charles III.

Find out more