At Key Skills, we often say mental health is as important on site as fall protection or PPE gear. You wouldn’t send a worker up a scaffold without a harness, and you shouldn’t send someone into the week without the right support for their wellbeing.
That’s why Mental Health Awareness Week (6 – 12 October) is a date we circle on the calendar every year but for us, it’s never just about one week. Mental health is a focus every day, on every site, with every worker we place.
Why it matters in our industry
Construction, manufacturing, and engineering can be tough environments. The hours are long, the work is physical, and the pressure to deliver is high. Add in uncertainty from short-term contracts, and it’s no surprise that mental health is one of the biggest challenges in our sector.
That’s why we’ve backed initiatives like the MATES in Construction “Long Lap” walk for mental health, where our team joined others across the industry to raise awareness and funds. Walking side by side was a powerful reminder that no one has to carry the load alone.
Not just a week, but a mindset
This year, Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 carries the theme Top Up Together, encouraging people to recharge by connecting with others and putting the Five Ways to Wellbeing into daily practice. It’s about small actions that add up – checking in with a mate, lending a hand, or taking notice of the little things that make a day better.
For us at Key Skills, this isn’t new. We see mental health as a safety issue, not a side issue. Supporting workers means creating a culture where it’s normal to speak up, to ask for help, and to look out for the people beside you.
What we’ll be doing
Throughout Mental Health Awareness Week, we’ll be sharing ideas, resources, and practical tips across Facebook and LinkedIn. Each day, we’ll focus on one of the Five Ways to Wellbeing, with activities and challenges anyone can join in on.
Connect – reach out to a mate or colleague
Give – acts of kindness on and off site
Be Active – moving together for better wellbeing
Take Notice – pausing to notice what’s around you
Keep Learning – trying something new together
A commitment that goes beyond
Mental health doesn’t end when the week wraps up. For us, it’s a long-term commitment. Just like safety boots and helmets, support for wellbeing is standard kit. It keeps people safe, it keeps teams strong, and it keeps projects moving.
So this October, join us in topping up together. We’d love clients, workers, and friends of Key Skills to follow along, take part, and share their own stories during the week. Because when people are supported, the whole industry benefits.
This post first appeared in Hire Wire, our free monthly newsletter on smarter hiring and all things in construction, engineering and manufacturing recruitment. Subscribe here or get in touch if you want to talk through anything you’ve read.
