MAC Construction Consultants: Building Workplace-Ready Graduates with Aspiring Futures
How do you help graduates hit the ground running — without adding pressure to your fee earning line managers?
MAC Construction Consultants partnered with Scaffold Coaching to deliver a 6-month Aspiring Futures pilot programme designed to build the human skills needed to succeed at work. The impact was immediate: increased confidence, stronger communication, and graduates better equipped for the realities of the workplace, plus lots of learnings to improve things.
“Aspiring Futures is what every manager wishes their new hires already knew. It’s taken the pressure off our senior team and helped our grads hit the ground running.”
The Challenge
MAC Construction Consultants were investing in early careers talent but recognised a common gap. Their graduates and apprentices were technically strong, but like many entering the workplace, they needed support to:
Build confidence in professional environments
Understand workplace expectations (both spoken and unspoken)
Communicate effectively with colleagues and senior stakeholders
Navigate the transition from education to the realities of work
MAC wanted a scalable, practical solution that would accelerate development without adding pressure to their senior team.
Our Approach
In partnership with MAC, Scaffold Coaching built and delivered Aspiring Futures — an on-demand learning programme tailored specifically to their graduates and apprentices. The pilot programme for MAC combined:
On-demand learning (bite-sized video modules across 8 core topics)
Monthly live webinars (coaching, discussion and real-world application)
Reflection tasks (to embed learning in day-to-day work)
A final in-person workshop (to consolidate learning and build confidence)
The content focused on the human skills required to thrive in work, including:
Building trust and professional behaviours
Communicating with clarity and confidence
Reading the room (in-person and online)
Managing time, priorities and expectations
Working effectively with managers and stakeholders
Hear from MAC
We partnered closely with MAC to design this programme from the ground up. Watch Sian Platts, Head of HR at MAC, share why they built Aspiring Futures and what they were looking to solve.
The Impact
On individuals:
85% reported increased confidence in meetings
85% felt clearer on workplace expectations
95% said they were more comfortable asking for help
80% noticed an improvement in how they communicated
Engagement & Application
75% said “The video content is interesting and held my attention”
95% said “The content is highly relevant to my job or future career”
65% reported taking immediate action or changing behaviour that same week
What We Learned
Like any pilot, this gave us valuable insight into what works — and what doesn’t — for early careers development in a real-world setting.
Six months was too long for an on-demand learning journey. Momentum dropped, so we’ve streamlined the programme into a more focused, shorter 1-2 month experience.
Live webinars added complexity, not value. Scheduling sessions around busy, unpredictable early-career diaries proved difficult, so we’ve removed them to create a simpler, more accessible experience.
Reflection needed to be easier and more practical. We’ve improved the learning platform so reflective questions are quicker to engage with — and more meaningful to carry into real workplace conversations.
Line manager support is critical. We’ve since developed a dedicated guide to help managers reinforce learning through regular 1:1s, making the impact more visible and sustained.
The result is a programme that is simpler, sharper, and easier to apply in the flow of work.
Want to build workplace-ready graduates in your organisation?
Following the success and learnings from the pilot, Aspiring Futures has evolved into a flexible, on-demand learning journey designed to fit around busy roles — not compete with them, and is now available more widely—helping organisations give early careers talent the skills they need to start strong and thrive in work.
Today, organisations can use the programme to:
Give graduates and apprentices a clear, structured start to their careers
Build confidence and workplace awareness from day one
Reduce pressure on senior leaders by embedding foundational skills early
Support line managers with practical tools to guide development in 1:1s
It can be delivered as a standalone early careers programme or integrated into your existing graduate or apprenticeship pathways.
And for organisations wanting more, there’s the option to add a face-to-face workshop to bring the learning to life and build connection across cohorts. For more information visit our Aspiring Futures page or register to receive module 1 free of charge.