Amey has partnered with National Highways to deliver its second STRIVE programme: an initiative to give young people who have been in care the skills to explore careers in transport infrastructure and move into work.

Following the example of the first STRIVE cohort from the North West last summer, the latest programme focused on care leavers between the ages of 18 and 21 in Nottinghamshire.

The participants were initially referred to the programme by the Nottinghamshire Leaving Care Team and Homes2Inspire after being identified as those who would benefit most from ‘structured exposure to real‑world work environments and future career pathways'.

Adam Webster, social value manager at Amey, said: ‘For many care experienced young people, the transition to independence and employment comes with additional challenges. Offering a role to a young person from a care-experienced background is incredibly important to us at Amey.

‘STRIVE provides targeted support by helping them explore our sector, understand the stepping stones into work, and build both insight and inspiration.

Over the course of a week, the group had ‘hands-on access' to the full service delivery lifecycle, starting with the design and planning stage and carrying on through to maintenance and operations.

As part of this, the group visited the maintenance and response teams at the Felley and Sandiacre depots, took part in practical demonstrations of vehicles, equipment and highways maintenance activities, and also spent time with operatives, supervisors and managers to understand day‑to‑day operations.

Also included were communication workshops, sessions focused on health and safety and ‘career‑journey discussions' led by colleagues from both Amey and National Highways.

In a high point of the week, the cohort was taken on a behind‑the‑scenes visit to the East Midlands Regional Operations Centre (ROC), where they were given real-time demonstrations of how the area's highways are monitored and managed.

Richard Meakin, operations manager at National Highways, who hosted the visit at the ROC, said: ‘It was a pleasure to give these young people an inside look at how our roads are managed and to introduce them to possible career opportunities in this sector. As National Highways we are proud to collaborate on this important initiative and recognise its value in inspiring care leavers to pursue careers in the industry and providing them with practical insight and confidence.'

Donna Dind, social value manager at National Highways, added: ‘STRIVE has had such a positive impact on the young people who took part. They've gained a stronger understanding of the highways sector and the many roles that support it. It's been inspiring to see their confidence grow as they worked with our teams and explored opportunities available.'