As part of its drive to boost skills in the construction industry, Sewell Group has launched a series of new augmented reality career ambassador portraits to inspire young people to think about the careers available to them.
With a skills gap of 239,000 extra workers needed in the construction industry by 2029, Sewell Group wanted to create a fun and engaging way to demonstrate that the sector is not just about hard hats and high vis vests, but that there are lots of different and rewarding careers available that combine traditional and digital skills.
By using augmented reality technology, the idea is to inspire the next generation to see what different careers are available through a digital format that young people are familiar with and excited by.
In what’s believed to be a first, Sewell commissioned Helen Gill from HelloU Creative to develop the portraits, which are based on scripts from real people working in industry. Digital avatars were then created, which come to life when scanned with a smartphone or tablet.
Mark Boothby, Joint MD at Sewell Construction, said:
“When talking with partners across the education and construction sectors, it became clear that students are unaware of what our sector can offer and many careers advisors just don’t know enough to give a good view of the industry, which is fuelling the skills gap that we’re seeing across the country.
“Construction is exciting and fast paced, and digital technology is transforming ways of working. It allows professionals to develop digital models and use various virtual and augmented reality techniques to plan buildings before they get to site.
“We have a huge range of people within our business doing different roles and we wanted to create something digital to engage students and inspire them to consider their career path.”
The hope is that the portraits could be rolled out across schools and colleges across the region in the future and expanded into other roles and sectors.