Amey, in partnership with National Highways, has delivered its second STRIVE programme, a week‑long initiative giving care leavers the insight, confidence and skills to explore careers in transport infrastructure and move into work.
Following the success of the first STRIVE cohort last summer, which supported care leavers in the North West, this second programme took place in Nottinghamshire (Area 7) and focused on supporting five care leavers aged 18–21. Referred by the Nottinghamshire Leaving Care Team and Homes2Inspire, the young people were identified as those who would benefit most from structured exposure to real‑world work environments and future career pathways.
Speaking on the success of the programme, 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. As a signatory of the Care Leaver Covenant, we have ring-fenced a position in Area 7 specifically for this purpose, and we take great pride in doing so. This initiative is a vital step towards achieving our social value objectives while making a real difference to an individual’s life.”
Throughout the week, the group were given hands‑on access to the full service delivery lifecycle, from design and planning through to maintenance and operations. They visited the Maintenance and Response teams at Felley and Sandiacre depots, spent time with operatives, supervisors and managers to understand day‑to‑day operations, and took part in practical demonstrations of vehicles, equipment and highways maintenance activities. The programme also included communication workshops, health and safety sessions, and career‑journey discussions with colleagues from both Amey and National Highways.
A highlight of the week was a behind‑the‑scenes visit to the East Midlands Regional Operations Centre (ROC), where participants saw in real time how the region’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.”
(Picture: National Highways/Amey)
