Our Partnership with Construction Youth Trust

Construction Youth Trust (CYT) is a social mobility charity dedicated to inspiring and enabling young people from disadvantaged and underrepresented backgrounds to overcome barriers and achieve their full career potential in the construction and built environment sector. By connecting young people with employers and real opportunities – including work experience and apprenticeships – CYT helps them build confidence, develop skills, and access meaningful career pathways.

What Sets CYT Apart?

CYT stands out for its strong relationships with over 200 employers, enabling it to deliver a range of impactful activities, including:
• Work experience placements that immerse young people in companies aligned with their career goals, allowing them to develop and showcase soft skills while building relationships with potential employers.
• Live Vacancies Days, where employers present apprenticeship opportunities and run realistic recruitment simulations, such as mock assessment centres, to help young people gain confidence before applying for roles.

Key Programmes

To meet the diverse career needs of its target audience, CYT has developed two key programme areas:
• Pathways to Professional Careers: Supports disadvantaged young people (aged 16-18) aspiring to professional roles by helping them overcome barriers – such as a lack of professional networks or work experience – and access higher-level apprenticeships and rewarding career opportunities.
• Building Opportunities: Works with schools, colleges, and community partners (including youth offending services and local youth clubs) to support unemployed and at-risk young people. Through intensive one-to-one coaching and its extensive local network, CYT provides work experience placements and Live Vacancies events, helping young people establish clear career goals suited to their strengths and interests.

A Longstanding Partnership

The Paviors have been proud partners of CYT for many years, united by a shared commitment to nurturing the next generation. Our support has helped CYT deliver ‘Building Future Skills’ programmes in the City of London. Each course is a 3-day experiential world-of-work programme for 20-30 young Londoners preparing for their post-18 transition by enhancing their skills, networks and career prospects.

Real Impact

In 2024, CYT reached over 12,000 young people, delivering confidence-boosting activities, hands-on work experiences, and long-term coaching programmes for those facing barriers. The organisation continues to collaborate with industry partners, facilitating inspiring encounters in the built environment sector – with over 800 industry volunteers contributing to its success last year.
As a result, young people reported significant improvements in key areas:
• 83% of participants gained a better understanding of the skills employers seek.
• 80% improved their knowledge of careers within the built environment sector.

To see the tangible difference CYT is making, visit their Success Stories page, where young people share their journeys into construction careers.