Space Solutions GROW Visit – Eastbank Academy

School: Eastbank Academy

Type of activity: Sector Awareness/Employer Visits

Name of employer: Space Solutions

Case Study

From 12th January to 12th March, 18 schools across the Glasgow City Region participated in the GROW programme, with equal representation from Glasgow, the West, and Lanarkshire & East Dunbartonshire. The 6 Glasgow schools were: Lochend Community High School, Drumchapel High School, Eastbank Academy, Castlemilk High School, Cleveden Secondary School and St Mungo’s Academy. During this period, Glasgow pupils engaged with eight key sectors through a total of 48 employer site visits. The following case study highlights one of these visits in detail. 

The young people from Eastbank Academy have had the opportunity to visit a variety of employers, helping them gain a greater understanding of the world of work and the range of opportunities available to them. These visits allowed the group to see different workplaces, ask questions, and begin to think about the skills and qualities employers value.  

They visited:  

• FARE Scotland– Health and Wellbeing 

• Circulus Ltd – Renewables/NetZero 

• Space Solutions – Creative 

• EY Foundation – Finance and Professional Services 

• Employability Session with Castlemilk Youth Complex – In place of housing 

• Caledonia Training Centre/WM Donnelly – Digital Tech 

• Archaeology Scotland at Cuningar Loop – STEM 

• Lisini Group at Dalziel Park – Hospitality 

One of the most impactful sessions took place during the visit to Space Solutions – an architectural firm in Glasgow as part of the creative sector. Pupils explored the fundamentals of office design, developing their own concepts through sketches before collaborating with professional designers to bring their ideas to life using CAD. The day combined hands-on creativity with real-world insight, including a walking tour of Glasgow’s architecture to inspire their thinking. It concluded with group presentations and reflection, building confidence and communication skills. 

During this visit, the young people had the chance to explore their own skills and take part in presenting their ideas which was a new and engaging experience. Furthermore, the architectural walking tour was highly effective in allowing the young people to explore Glasgow as a classroom, a key objective of the GROW programme by expanding their horizons and providing a unique perspective of the city. The experience combined creativity, real-world insight, and exploration of Glasgow’s architecture, leaving a lasting impact on the young people involved. 

While this case study focuses on a single visit; this was just one of 8 meaningful visits for Eastbank Academy. It is important to note that similarly high-quality experiences were delivered consistently across many site visits and sectors for many different schools, each showcasing different facets of their respective organisations and contributing to a broad, well-rounded understanding of jobs and future employment for participating pupils. 

Objectives:

• Help break down misconceptions, raise aspirations, and build confidence.  

• Develop an understanding of roles within different sectors.  

• Get pupils thinking about positive destinations post-secondary. 

• Provide meaningful exposure to real workplace environments and employer expectations.  

• Develop key meta-skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.  

• Enable pupils to identify and reflect on their own strengths, interests, and skills.  

• Strengthen links between education and employment through direct employer engagement.  

• Support informed decision-making around subject choices, pathways, and future careers. 

Results/Outcomes:

• With encouragement and support, the young people pushed themselves to take part. By the end of the session, they reflected positively on the experience and felt proud that they had challenged themselves.  

• This experience helped to build their confidence and showed them that they are capable of stepping outside their comfort zone and developing new skills that will support them in the future. 

• Many of the young people grew an interest in this sector as a future career.  

• So far GROW has delivered 5500+ hours of work experience for 177 pupils in Block 1.  

• 95% of the pupils from Block 1 said they now feel confident in understanding different types of jobs 

• 96% of young people felt welcome during the programme 

• 87% of employers felt the sessions helped develop employability skills and added value to their organisation  

Benefits:

• Pupils got a chance to present their own ideas, build their confidence and learn about the world of work.  

• Pupils left excited and inspired with a new appreciation for the sector.  

• A positive experience for Space Solutions, admiring the pupils’ confidence and level of engagement throughout the visit. 

• Pupils developed practical skills through hands-on activities, enhancing both creativity and problem-solving abilities.  

• The session provided valuable interaction with industry professionals, helping pupils better understand career pathways and employer expectations.  

• The experience strengthened the connection between education and industry, creating potential for ongoing engagement and future opportunities. 

Testimonials:

Quotes from the young people: 

“I want to go back” 

“I want to try to do work experience there”  

“I have never presented in front of people before I’m proud of myself for doing it’’ “they welcomed us so I felt ok speaking in front of them”  

“It’s been the best employer we have been to so far!’’ 

Quotes from Space Solutions: 

‘’I’m glad they had a great time and it’s good to hear that presenting was felt to be a positive experience – I’m not sure I’d have been as confident at that age. I’ve already sent an e-mail to the head teacher and to Jade’s sister mentioning how enjoyable an experience it was for us’’ (Chris Carr, Associate Workplace Consultant) 

“As a parent of teenagers, it’s great to hear how enjoyable the pupils found the visit. It really highlights the value of showing young people what opportunities are out there.” (Sophie Taysom, Head of Marketing) 

Quote from GROW Glasgow Co-ordinator, Eve Holmes:  

“It’s great to hear how well the young people got on at Space Solutions. Chris (Space Solutions Lead) could not have been more helpful in the build-up to the visit. This visit was a great example of regional collaboration between education, private organisations and third sector charities” 

Quote from Youth Worker at Castlemilk Youth Complex, Kirsty Chapman: 

“The young people had an absolute blast at Space Solutions. The visit was brilliant, thanks to all the staff who were very welcoming and made sure the session was interactive and engaging.”