News

Inspire!

Inspire! is looking for volunteers to visit schools in London for an hour one morning or afternoon to talk to Year 1 children (5 – 6 year olds) about their job.

They are especially looking for female volunteers in construction to take part with the aim of challenging stereotypes associated with this field. Research suggests that children form job stereotypes from an early age (5 – 7 years old).

So, by introducing pupils within this age group to working female role models from the construction industry, they are hoping to address these concerns.

The Educational Team

(Below their letter to us)

Work Week

Inspire! is an Education Business Partnership. We bring schools together with employers and the community to raise young people’s aspirations and to help them develop skills for the world of work.


Taking the view that it’s never too early to start preparing children for adult life, Inspire! has developed a Work Week programme for primary schools, where pupils learn about jobs through different themes through fun and engaging activities.

Year One
Year One (aged 5-6 years old) learn about Going to work during Work Week – investigating different types of jobs through exploring the skills required whilst aiming to challenge stereotypes. The pupils have a chance to practise common skills required for work through fun, interactive activities.

Your role
You will spend about 20-30 minutes with a Year One class to give the children an insight into your job.

It will be an opportunity for the children to understand different aspects of your job whilst challenging stereotypes associated with your field. This age group responds well to visual aids, role play and inter- active activities.

Case Study: Lorraine the Builder
Loraine went to visit pupils at a school to tell them about her job at Lakehouse. Her session ran as follows:

-Loraine arrived in uniform and introduced herself to the pupils, asking if they could guess what her job was by what she was wearing.

-She then showed the pupils a variety of different items of uniform that she wears on site and asked the pupils to guess how they kept her safe. This included a hi-vis jacket, a hard hat, gloves, and boots.

-She also brought in some other building tools for the pupils to handle and try on and encouraged them to interact with these in small groups.

Volunteers are briefed in advance and supported by Inspire! on the day. For further information, or to sign-up, please contact Alex at Inspire! on
alexander.straker@inspire-ebp.org.uk