Esh helps build futures at Skills Street

A construction education initiative is engaging young minds in Yorkshire.

Esh Construction has unveiled its Interactive Learning Zone at Skills Street, based at Gulliver’s Valley Theme Park in Rotherham, marking a key milestone in its investment in social value across the region. 

As the first employer partner to join the Skills Street programme, the County Durham-based contractor has brought together its award-winning employability and careers initiatives into one immersive, real-world learning environment. 

More than 1500 students have already taken part since a soft launch six weeks ago.

The space forms part of Skills Street, an innovative careers experience created by Gulliver’s Valley Theme Parks in partnership with The Work-wise Foundation. 

The initiative is designed to introduce children, young people and adults to a wide range of career opportunities, raise aspirations and support learners from diverse backgrounds.

Megan Roberts, social value manager at Bowburn-headquartered Esh Construction, said: “It’s fantastic to have a home for all our programmes, especially given the great work we do locally through our social value schemes. 

“This space brings together everything we stand for – engaging, inspiring, and informing the next generation about the breadth of opportunities in construction. 

“It’s not just about what we do here, but about the wider impact we can have when we work together with partners like YORhub, Sheffield City Council and Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council.”

Andy Radcliffe, chief executive at Esh Group, added: “Our social value and design teams have worked tirelessly with key stakeholders since 2022 to bring our Interactive Learning Zone to life. 

“It is a proud day for the business to be officially launching this space, which showcases Esh’s commitment to inspiring young people to consider a career in construction from an early age. 

“It’s not just about what we do here, but about the wider impact we can have when we work together with partners like YORhub and local authorities.”

Visitors to the new Interactive Learning Zone can explore Dudley’s Site Cabin to learn about site safety, take on a construction challenge in the Esh Living Site, experiment with sustainable technologies at the Retrofit Tri Station, and use an immersive technology sand pit to plan river embankments.

James Beighton, business development manager at Skills Street, added: “Construction is such a critical industry for our economy with increasingly pressing skills needs. 

“We are delighted to partner with Esh to showcase the breadth of opportunity across the built environment, introducing young people at an earlier age to job roles and practical skills that look beyond the obvious.

“Our construction skills space brings an immersive careers learning experience to groups from primary age upwards, building in problem solving and teamwork alongside thematic areas such as sustainability, environmental design and construction project management. 

“Visitors are placed into real life scenarios linked to Esh projects and leave the space with a broad view on construction and its relevance to classroom learning. 

“Most importantly, we are working collaboratively to inform a better prepared workforce whilst inspiring our next generation one skill at a time.”  

Mike Raven, YORhub performance and improvement manager, added: “YORhub, as the regional public sector hub for construction procurement in Yorkshire and the Humber, champions the upskilling of young people and encouraging them to consider construction as a career. 

“The sector is badly in need of more people and our award-winning employment and skills offer drives this, with 29,000 pupils having benefitted from site visits and workshops since the launch of YORhub.

“We’re delighted to see Esh Construction, as one of our framework contractors, inspiring young people to join construction by becoming the first contractor on Skills Street and so being able to give visibility to the wide range of careers the industry offers.”

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