The Lendlease Challenge – a collaborative programme between Lendlease and 15billionebp, is an annual programmes aimed at five East London secondary schools. It involved 3 stages over the course of an academic year, with participating students developing key employability skills whilst working on a real life regeneration project.
Lendlease are busy working on The International Quarter London, an innovative development project taking place in Stratford, which will bring some 25,000 new jobs to area. Many of the students who take part in the programme have not heard about this development, nor do they know about the variety organisations that are relocating to Stratford and that this might mean for the future of their borough.
The challenge has helped me push my limits creatively and I have learnt a lot from this experience.
StudentThe Lendlease Challenge seeks not only to raise awareness of possible careers in construction, but also careers in the various organisations that are relocating to Stratford’s International Quarter.
As well as developing understanding of the local labour market, The Lendlease Challenge also aims to reengage students in their local communities, and to support them in the understanding of the changes taking place nearby and what this might mean for their futures.
Finally, the challenge itself is designed to support the development of key employability skills such as teamwork, research skills, independent working, and presentation skills.
At the end of the final stage of the programme, students were asked to provide feedback on their experience.
After taking part in the Lend Lease Challenge 100% of the participants agreed or strongly agreed with the statement ‘I have more knowledge of jobs and careers related to construction/regeneration’, and 100% of the students rated The Lendlease Challenge as ‘Good’ or ‘Very Good’.
The written feedback from students clearly demonstrates that they felt that they had not only developed their understanding of regeneration in the context of The International Quarter, but also their skills.
I have learnt valuable skills during this challenge and I feel proud to have taken part in it. I would recommend it to everyone.
StudentBuilding an employability programme around Lendlease’s current International Quarter Development is incredibly impactful for two key reasons: students are able to see their learning in a real life scenario and they are encouraged to actively engage with the changes taking place around them.
The three-stage set up of The Lendlease Challenge gives students the chance to work on a project over a number of months; a fantastic opportunity to work independently from their school studies. Further to this, participants meet students from other East London schools and develop communication skills with adults and young people unfamiliar to them.
We are looking forward to engaging new schools, and working with Lendlease as The International Quarter Develops.