22 ‘We can see a castle from our classroom’: Academy9 – an opportunity to deliver social value through archaeology along the A9 road corridor Natasha Ferguson MCIfA, Elise Christensen PCIfA, and Kevin Mooney MCIfA, Jacobs UK Ltd Over the last two years we have been fortunate enough to work alongside colleagues to deliver ‘Academy9’, an educational initiative from Transport Scotland linked to the A9 Perth to Inverness Dualling programme.1 Social value is at the core of Academy9, with its commitment to enhancing community benefits by reaching out to young people along the A9 Dualling corridor through Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM)-related skills and experiences linked to road design and construction. Having a live infrastructure project on their doorsteps brings a unique opportunity for pupils to experience what jobs in the infrastructure sector could be like. With teams of engineers, surveyors, landscape architects, environmental scientists, ecologists and archaeologists in place to deliver the A9 Dualling programme, Academy9 provides opportunities for pupils to learn about STEM-related careers with reallife support and guidance from industry professionals. 1 About – Academy9 (glowscotland.org.uk) Students road-testing potential careers in the infrastructure sector with the help of professionals (All photos: Transport Scotland)
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