Social Impact Category: Prosperity & Local Economy/Partnerships & Customer Collaborations
Pilot Work Place Visit for Kings Road Primary
Category: Prosperity & Local Economy/Partnerships & Customer Collaborations
Project Name: WEV: Kings Road Primary Year 6
Location: Manchester
Date: June 2025
Initiative Output: Design and Problem Solving Workshop - 2 Staff Volunteers for 1/2 day
Outcomes: Change in feeling and knowledge - Introductions to careers they hadn’t heard of
Background
As a business we are committed to creating long-term impacts in the communities we are part. To that end we are always on the look out for strategic partners with whom we can work alongside to trial initiatives, assess impact and then if successful, work toward a more regular collaboration.
Following the success of our Managing Partner’s time mentoring for ReachOut organisation, we extended our support to host a pilot workplace visit. Putting on our teacher hats , we hosted a half-day design workshop for Year 6 pupils from Kings Road Primary School in Manchester. Drawing on our own experience as part of the design team to deliver a new orangutan enclosure at Twycross Zoo, we invited students to step into our professional roles and co-create habitat designs.
Key elements of the event included engaging pupils in teams of three: architect, project manager and client, using the Save Construction “Not Just Men and Muddy Boots” video to illustrate career pathways in our industry and asked or designs created from hands-on sketching and group presentations.
Workshop Design & Delivery
Baker Mallett staff, Natalie and Vickie led the session, assisted by local Reachout lead, Helena.
The structure was:
Introduction to orangutan natural habitat and behaviours to provide enclosure requirements
Role assignment and brief distribution Group brainstorming, sketching & design development
Mini-presentations to showcase their design to the class
By merging technical content with team-centric challenges, we ensured students practiced empathy when listening to their “client,” responsibility in meeting deadlines, and initiative in generating design ideas, three of the socio emotional skills which Reachout focus on developing through their work.
Outcomes & Feedback
Student reflections demonstrated clear growth in both confidence and collaboration:
One Student said “I learnt that working together is a big part of your life and it’s how you learn and grow.”
Another remarked “The activities today helped me improve my communication in groups.”
Baker Mallett staff feedback highlighted the energy and creativity students brought to the challenge: Vickie observed “I loved seeing the kids work together and come up with such creative ideas!”
Natalie noted increased interest and engagement when pupils saw clear links between design and real-world impact and delighted in one student’s comment when saying goodbye that they “wanted to be a project manager and work for the company”
Next Steps & Rollout
Buoyed by the positive response, Baker Mallett plans to expand the half-day workshop across more schools across the north of England.
