Pentagon Play and Community Engagement

Here at Pentagon Play we are committed to our mission of successful community engagement. We are always looking for new ways in which we can help and inform the local community of all we do. We continue to build productive partnerships by offering opportunities for collaborations.

Company owners, Andy and Michael are passionate about inspiring the future generation of engineers and offer different initiatives to introduce young people to the world of manufacturing and product design.

Read on to discover more about our ongoing community engagement journey.

Promoting Women in Industry at Pentagon Play

The UK construction industry is seeing a rise in women's participation yet significant strides still need to be made to achieve true gender equality.

Women make up 15% of the construction workforce, with 340,000 individuals currently employed in the sector. This number is steadily growing with 37% of new construction workers being women.

Our Fantastic Female Workforce

We are extremely proud of our female workforce here at Pentagon Play and offer diverse and rewarding career paths for women. Many of our important roles such as our Operations Director, Learning Consultants, Product Designers, Installations Coordinators, Workshop Operatives and Trainee Installers are occupied by women.

Bringing more women into the industry inevitably brings new skill sets and perspectives. At Pentagon Play we are committed to addressing the gender imbalance by providing real and meaningful employment and training opportunities for women.

Proactively Promoting Equality and Diversity

Pentagon Play proactively promote equality and diversity and continually look for ways for more women to consider careers with us.

To ensure that the number of women in construction continues to rise and to allow women to be proportionally represented Pentagon Play are often frequent visitors to where it all starts... school. It is so important to encourage girls to take STEM subjects and apprenticeships.

Our STEM Based Learning Events

Pentagon Play help to prepare young people for their future careers. According to the British Council, as many as 65% of today's pupils will be employed in jobs that do not exist yet! Therefore we need to help students to develop a varied set of skills that will fully prepare them for successful and rewarding careers in STEM.

By 2035, over 1.9 million STEM professionals will be needed in the UK alone, filling jobs in computing, environmental sciences, health related industries and in engineering right here at Pentagon Play!

Careers education can start as early as primary school which helps to demystify technology and break down barriers, making STEM accessible for everyone.

Creating the Next Generation of STEM Superstars

Keen to foster the next generation of 'STEM Superstars' we hold interactive, STEM based learning events at our office locations. Pupils are able to participate in activity days where they create a business, price for work, design a product, build a prototype and present this product to the board in a friendly 'Dragon's Den' style!

Participation in our activity days develops essential skills needed for many jobs such as creative thinking, resilience, decision making, teamwork, leadership and empathy. Pupils begin to understand the links between what they are learning in school and how this can be applied to real world scenarios.

Team Pentagon Play show young people what opportunities are out there for them and hope to encourage self-belief. Some pupils may feel that STEM subjects such as science or maths are boring or even too difficult and STEM jobs themselves are dull and involve sitting in front of a computer for hours. We want young people to see that engineering can be cool and that they can play a key role in shaping our future.

There are a wide variety of pathways into STEM industries for young people and we believe that it is key to offer young people in-depth career advice.

How do Pentagon Play Offer Careers Advice?

Pentagon Play work with local schools who run mock interview days with their Y11 students. Pupils are given the opportunity to have a realistic job interview and receive feedback. Students are asked competency based questions to help them to reflect on their employability skills. We also collate a report for each student, giving feedback on performance and tips and advice on how to be successful in future interviews.

Our aim is to be able to instil confidence in young people and we also offer guidance on how to best prepare CV's and supporting statements. We welcome questions from students and enjoy explaining the types of careers we offer here at Pentagon Play. Our visiting team explain how each of them came to be employed by Pentagon and what their day to day responsibilities look like.

Pentagon Play are committed to opening our young people's eyes to the huge amount of career opportunities available within our industry.

Opening Our Doors to the Next Generation

As the UK's number 1 school playground specialist, we hold a unique opportunity to shape the future of our industry. At Pentagon Play we open our doors to the next generation by offering 'Workplace Safaris.'

Workplace Safaris generate high levels of engagement and enthusiasm from both Pentagon employees and visiting students. Young people who visit us gain exposure to the diverse range of careers we offer.

Students can rotate through our many different departments including: operations, product design, sales and accounts, marketing or aftercare. Young people can visit our workshop and warehouse teams and chat to our Learning Consultants and Playground Installation Teams to learn about life on the road!

Pentagon employees enjoy having the opportunity to share their knowledge and experiences. We believe we are investing in the future of our industry and also playing a pivotal role in addressing skills gaps and fostering economic growth.

Our Apprenticeship Offer

Pentagon Play offer apprenticeship placements every year, helping to launch exciting careers in our industry. A Pentagon apprenticeship helps people to get the necessary skills and experience needed to succeed in their chosen career. Apprentices learn 'on the job' which means networking opportunities, ongoing support from team leaders, peer-to- peer support, social benefits and financial perks such as paid annual leave.

Government figures indicate that 91% of apprentices go on to secure employment or to further study after completing their training. For us, apprenticeships are an effective way to recruit, train and retain future talent. Our apprentices often adapt to new and challenging scenarios with excitement and a fresh perspective.

Sponsored Degrees

Pentagon Play also offer sponsored degree programmes which is a way of getting a degree and being paid while you study. Sponsored degrees combine full-time study, paid work experience and reduced tuition fees for students. This can be a brilliant option for students who want to balance full-time study with real-world work experience plus a salary.

Students are given opportunities to learn from senior Pentagon employees and can attend workshops and events where they can start to build professional networks.

Moving Forward With Pentagon Play

Pentagon Play have the power to shape young minds, inspire passion and contribute to building a talented and diverse workforce. We are continually looking for ways to inspire the next generation and will continue to train and mentor those within our local communities.