Q&A with Lucy Youlton, Apprentice Social Value Coordinator

Lucy Youlton joined Esh Group as an Apprentice Social Value Coordinator in August 2023. Now 18 months into her role, the 19-year-old, from Chester-le-Street reflects on the importance of social value in construction, an award-winning start to life at Esh and the community impact being made across County Durham through key social value engagements.

Tell us a bit about your role with Esh?

My role is to support Esh Group’s Constructing Local strategy by providing administrative and engagement support. This can be anything from supporting community projects through volunteering to delivering employability workshops to primary and secondary school students.

I enjoy the variety of day-to-day activities from litter picking to school engagement and networking events. It’s a really sociable role where I can meet and talk to lots of different people.

2. Why did you choose the apprenticeship route and how is Esh supporting your career development?

I chose the apprenticeship route because I didn’t have enough passion for any particular subject to study at university. I was attracted to the practical side of an apprenticeship where I can learn, gain experience in a work environment and earn at the same time. Esh has supported me in building my confidence and developing my presentation skills. I started off by co-delivering school sessions, jumping in to lead when I felt comfortable with less pressure. As I became more familiar with the session format, I began delivering independently with support available if needed. Now I attend primary schools on my own and can confidently deliver to a classroom of students and teaching staff; in the future I plan to deliver to secondary school students independently and to assembly-size groups.

3. What is your proudest moment from your first year in the role?

I’m proud of my involvement in planning, organising and coordinating Esh Group’s Building My Skills (BMS) programme. BMS ran in 28 schools across the North East and Tees Valley and I coordinated 112 workshops to 4,772 students. I was the first point of contact for participating businesses and education providers. In recognition of the programme’s success, our team won the Going the Extra Mile accolade at the recent CECA North East Awards 2024.

Can you explain how you’ve developed in a work and personal capacity in the role?

Whilst working at Esh I have developed my IT skills, from writing and sending professional emails, to using PowerPoint when delivering presentations and Excel spreadsheets to collate data. I am much more comfortable being in unfamiliar situations, speaking to new people and have become more independent. I have definitely gained confidence and a sense of achievement during my first year at Esh.

When I first joined the company, I was self-conscious and slightly embarrassed to present in front of groups of people but over time and with practice, I have overcome this and my confidence has grown. Delivering presentations in schools to students is now one of my favourite parts of the role.

I’ve also enjoyed volunteering and seeing how Esh supports my local community. The role has raised my awareness about different charities and project groups in County Durham that we are able to support. I feel my job has a positive impact in the community and for primary and secondary school students as we work hard to educate them about the breadth of roles in the construction industry.

Find out more about Esh Group’s Constructing Local strategy at www.eshgroup.co.uk/Constructing-Local