Hampshire County Council ‘Educational Opportunities’ initiative Highly Commended

Reading Borough Council and Hampshire County Council, in partnership with Galliford Try and Balfour Beatty, created a working group to optimise their schools programme. Their objectives – to improve the educational experience of pupils; ensure local residents benefit from the works, and to highlight construction industry career opportunities. Each partner championed the initiative within their own organisation, which has enabled a consistent joined-up approach to each school.

One of the group’s successful initiatives is the creation of a universal ‘Educational Opportunities’ toolkit that can be utilised by any contractor or any school. It defines a common process to facilitate engagement with schools for the duration of the construction activity and the creation of an implementation plan. The toolkit, which is user-friendly and jargon free, provides the opportunity for children to learn everything from planning and building, to maintaining a school.