Colas Portsmouth & EBP South
Background
In 2025, Colas Portsmouth partnered with EBP South again to deliver school engagement events that inspire students to explore STEM subjects and careers in construction and infrastructure. This initiative reflects Colas’ commitment to social value and community development.
Challenge
Young people often lack awareness of career opportunities in construction and engineering. The challenge was to bridge this gap by providing real-world insights and hands-on experiences that connect education to employment pathways.
Objectives
Promote STEM learning and career awareness
Support skill development through interactive activities like guess the Colas job role!
Strengthen community ties and deliver measurable social value
Approach
Colas collaborated with EBP South to attend 17 events in 2025, including STEM fairs and career days. Activities included problem-solving challenges, Q&A sessions, and demonstrations of real-world engineering applications.
Outcomes
Total Hours: 274
Events: 17 - 11 EBP South Events: 186 hours
3 STEM Events: 24 hours
3 Career & Science
Fairs: 64 hours
Hundreds of students engaged, gaining confidence and awareness of diverse career paths.
Key Learnings
Employer-school partnerships are vital for inspiring future talent. Interactive, hands-on activities significantly improve student engagement and understanding of career opportunities.
Future Plans
Colas plans to expand its school engagement program in 2026, introducing more STEM-focused activities and collaborating with additional education partners to reach a wider audience.
Social Value Impact Summary
Voices from the Program
“We thrive on feedback from students, schools and employers! It’s how the EBP team ensures we’re delivering the best for our customers. By leveraging our vast network of employers and business volunteers, we craft inspirational, top-tier encounters designed to spark new possibilities for students. For EBP, South this evaluation process is vital – it directly strengthens our quality assurance, tracks success for young people, and maintains our Matrix accreditation” – Buz Williams – Head of Marketing, Business and Events
“A positive day for students to explore employability skills and a range of careers. Students enjoyed meeting the huge range of employers and finding out about their jobs and skills needed for their careers. Sessions were interactive, and allowed students to work on their teamwork skills” – Lucy Conner – Assistant Headteacher at Park Community School
“We had a great day and loved how all the students from year 7-11 were so engaging and got involved. We hope they found it beneficial to learn about all the job roles Colas has to offer.” Karen Brogan – Colas, Social Value Co-Ordinator.
STEM Ambassador
STEM Ambassador Brad Yates has been instrumental in nearly all the EBP events