Conference Workshops

Construction is one of the UK’s most diverse and evolving employment sectors, offering opportunities for people at every skill level. For job coaches and employability managers, understanding this landscape is essential to supporting clients effectively.

This panel discussion brings together employers and industry representatives who will provide front line insights to help you better guide jobseekers into sustainable, meaningful careers in construction.

Panel Members:

Joining Emma Soanes (CEO of Downs Syndrome Scotland and SUSE Trustee) will be:

• Heather Henderson (Group HR Director), Springfield Group
• Naila Wood (Head of Social Impact), Balfour Beatty
• Pamela Cunningham (Consultant), Growth and Performance Solutions

What the Panel Will Cover:

• Sector Priorities and Workforce Needs
  Learn what matters most to employers right now – from skills shortages to major growth areas – so you can better position your clients for success.
• What Job Coaches Should Know About Working in Construction
  Panellists will outline workplace expectations, common misconceptions, essential behaviours, and the realities of day‑to‑day work, enabling you to prepare candidates confidently.
• Job Roles, Entry Routes, and Progression Pathways
  Explore the huge range of roles available (far beyond traditional trades) and the different ways individuals can enter the sector, including apprenticeships, pre‑employment programmes, on‑site training and routes for career changers.
• How Recruitment Really Works
  Gain clarity on hiring processes, the challenges employers face, common barriers for jobseekers and where the sector is struggling to attract candidates — crucial information for tailoring client support.
• Support for Diverse and Underrepresented Groups
  Hear what training, wrap‑around support and inclusive initiatives exist to help disabled workers, people with care responsibilities, language barriers, or limited work experience access opportunities.
• The Future of Construction: Digital Skills, AI, and New Job Types
  Understand how technology is reshaping the workforce, what new roles are emerging and the skills your clients will need in the coming years.

Why Attend?

This session will give job coaches and employability professionals:

• Up‑to‑date industry insight
• Practical guidance to help prepare candidates
• A clearer understanding of employer expectations
• Information on inclusive pathways and support offers
• Stronger connections between the employability and construction sectors

Employment Rights Bill Update
Fiona Davies, People and Safety Services Manager at GCVS

2026 will see landmark changes to employment law as the Employment Rights Bill 2025 is implemented. There will be 28 employment law reforms as a result of the bill, affecting all organisations regardless of size or industry.  The changes are being staggered with key changes taking place in April 2026, October 2026 and 2027.

This workshop will give you an overview of the changes and will provide you with guidance on the areas of your organisation that you need review in order to comply with the changes.

Fiona is a Chartered Member of The Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development. She has worked in HR for 21 years, 17 years of which has been in the voluntary sector.

GCVS supports the voluntary sector to succeed and meet the needs of local communities by providing a wide range of services, training and opportunities for community groups, charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises.

Fiona leads the People and Safety Service at GCVS, which provides support for voluntary sector employers on HR, Health and Safety, Data Protection and Recruitment.

Integrating Free ATech into Supported Employment
Deniz Uyanik, Policy Connect

A workshop to explore how assistive and accessible technology (ATech) can play a vital role in supporting ASN learners as they transition from education into employment. ATech technology can remove barriers, enhance skills, and open new pathways to work. The session will demonstrate how ATech can be embedded into supported employment programs to improve outcomes for disabled people. Attendees will also learn about the design and ambitions of a proposed pilot that integrates free ATech into Supported Employment services in the Midlands.

Deniz is a Researcher at the cross-party think tank Policy Connect. As a member of the Accessibility team, Deniz works on assistive and accessible technology and accessible transport policy. They are also a member of the Office for Students Disability in Higher Education Panel and a Disabled Students UK consultant. Deniz has a background in Parliamentary work and political psychology. They are dedicated to advancing accessibility through research and policy work.

Creating Opportunities by Phone – 5 ways to get better results
Audrey Bodman, Outshine 

Phone conversations remain one of the quickest ways to uncover genuine job or training opportunities, but only if the approach is right. In this focused one-hour session, you will learn five practical techniques that immediately improve confidence, reduce rejection and strengthen employer engagement. We will cover how to get through to the right person, open calls effectively, influence decision makers and position your service so employers want to listen.

Your workshop presenter is Audrey Bodman, who has delivered Employer Engagement skills training within the sector for over 30 years and is the author of The Call That Changed Everything: Creating Opportunities by Reverse Marketing by Phone. Her training is known for being practical, confidence-building and results focused.

Using Data to Strengthen Adviser Practice and Support Disabled Jobseekers
Dr Joanna Butler, MyEmploy

Advisers play a critical role in shaping disabled jobseekers’ experiences of employability support. Their relationships, judgements, and day-to-day decisions often make the difference between meaningful progression and disengagement. At the same time, advisers are increasingly asked to work with data, metrics, and targets that can feel disconnected from practice.

This interactive workshop explores how data can be used as a support for adviser judgement rather than a replacement for it. Drawing on research and practice, the session examines what data can tell us about employability, engagement, and the adviser–jobseeker relationship, and how it can be used constructively within disability employment services.

Participants will reflect on:

• The central role of the adviser in supporting disabled jobseekers
• Using evidence to strengthen conversations, not standardise people
• What meaningful data looks like in employability and disability services
• How data can inform reflective practice and service improvement

The session is designed to be practical, reflective, and discussion-based, supporting advisers and managers to use data in ways that enhance trust, inclusion, and impact.

Vocational profiling is a key tool in building rapport with job-seekers and providing a clearer picture of the support needed to move someone into sustainable employment. In this workshop participants will explore key dos and don’ts of vocational profiling, learning practical techniques to gather meaningful information and build a clearer picture of a person’s skills, experiences, and aspirations.

The session will also focus on how to open up conversations confidently so job seekers feel comfortable sharing relevant details. Through real case study examples and guided discussion, attendees will see profiling in action. An interactive activity will allow participants to practice these techniques and reflect on approaches that lead to more effective and insightful vocational profiling conversations.

Delivered by:

Kelly Forrest, Values Into Action Scotland 
Ross Maclean, Into Work 
Kirsten Souter, Into Work 

Join us for a practical workshop designed to help you build a more inclusive and supportive workplace. We’ll explore three simple but powerful approaches you can start using right away:

• Reverse Mentoring – Learn how pairing people across ages, roles, or digital skill levels can spark new ideas, improve understanding, and break down barriers.
• Positive Workplace Conversations – Discover how to have honest, strengths‑based conversations that build trust, confidence, and psychological safety.
• Digital Access – Find out about the common digital barriers and why it is important to ensure everyone can access the information they need.

By the end of the session, you’ll leave with practical tips and strategies you can apply immediately to improve collaboration, boost confidence and help create a workplace where everyone can do their best work.

Delivered by Apt Partners:

Allan Mackillop and Ian George, Alliance for Inclusion Lorna Prince, Changing the Chemistry
Jonathan Aitken, SUSE

In our workshop we are going to talk about digital accessibility in the workplace – what it is, why it matters and most importantly, what good practice looks like across everyday workplace tools: things like email, Word documents, PDFs, Teams/Zoom meetings, intranets, eLearning platforms, online forms, and shared systems.

Digital accessibility is a workplace inclusion issue, a productivity issue, and in many cases a legal requirement. That includes disabled staff, but it also includes people with temporary impairments, people working in noisy environments, older workers, neurodivergent staff, and people using mobile devices or assistive technologies.

Delivered by Cole AD.

In this practical workshop, participants will explore how to truly “meet people where they are” by understanding individual motivations, barriers and strengths. Through real‑world scenarios, reflective activities and evidence‑informed techniques, you’ll learn how to personalise support that helps people take confident steps toward paid employment – and stay there.

Delivered by:

Gail McKee and Scott Roberston, North Lanarkshire’s Supported Employment Service.