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Hands-on lessons prepare students for work

Ethan Saundersin Hanley
BBC Two teenage boys, both with shaggy brown hair and black crew neck jumpers. The have saws and chisels in there hands and are looking at the camera smiling.BBC
Will (left) and Kenny (right) both have aspirations to work in the construction trade once leaving education.

Practical lessons do help teenagers prepare for future careers, according to students at a vocational training centre.

Kenny and Will attend a woodworking workshop at The Spark Group in Stoke-on-Trent, learning how to create dovetail joints before going on to plumbing, electrical work and other trades.

"It was a struggle at first but as I have got on it's become a lot easier," Kenny said.

The teenager welcomed government plans to expand vocational education in England, saying it would give more young people the chance to learn practical skills. Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced earlier this year that he wanted Britain to "value the hard hat every bit as much as the graduation cap."

Two students looking over an instructor who is about to saw into a piece of wood.
The pair have started a course which will see them learn woodwork, plumbing and electrical skills

Will said the hands-on experience had helped him pursue his ambition of becoming a bricklayer.

"I've always wanted to do it because of my dad's old company. That's all he has ever done," he said.

A man in a black polo shirt with red hair and a beard. He is looking at the camera.
Chris Wilshaw used to be a teacher before becoming the operations director at The Spark Group

Chris Wilshaw, operations director at The Spark Group, said many young people thrive when given opportunities outside a traditional classroom environment.

"I think that the young people we have experienced in the first two years of operation are intelligent human beings who have got things to offer."

The organisation was founded by managing director Daniel Canavan after noticing a shortage of local tradespeople working on projects in the city.

It was developed to expose young people to different trades while giving them experience in a workplace-style setting.

"Our office space is very much like a working office, we treat the young people like employees, we treat it in a different way."

Wilshaw said the organisation works with academies across Stoke-on-Trent and often supports pupils who struggle with traditional academic environments or behavioural challenges.

Despite those difficulties, he said many remained ambitious about their futures.

"They're not necessarily after Porsches and affluence. They are after a quality of life, and I think our young people in Stoke-on-Trent can really go and grasp that."

A group of people all working around a table with various woodworking tools.
Workshops are carried out in smaller groups of eight so time can be spent teaching skills effectively.

The growth in vocational learning is also reflected in qualification results locally and nationally.

In the most recent statistics from Ofqual, the number of vocationally related qualification certificates issued nationally increased from 306,450 between January and March 2025 to 319,360 during the same period in 2026.

Across North Staffordshire, colleges have continued to report strong vocational results:

  • Stoke Sixth Form College recorded a 99% vocational pass rate in 2026
  • Stoke on Trent College reported a 100% T Level pass rate in 2025
  • Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group reported a 99% pass rate across 1,203 BTEC Extended Diploma entries in 2026.

The figures suggest growing demand for technical and vocational routes into employment, including careers in the construction industry.

For Kenny and Will, the focus remains on developing practical skills and exploring future careers in construction.

Both have family connections to the industry and hope to follow in their relatives' footsteps.

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