20/08/2026
Congratulations to everyone receiving their GCSE results today. 🎓
And if your results aren't quite what you hoped for, please remember this: Your GCSE results do not define your future.
There is more than one route to a successful career, and we believe it is time employers started recognising the value of practical skills just as much as academic ones.
For some young people, traditional exams simply aren't the right measure of what they are capable of. You might know exactly what you're doing but struggle to demonstrate it by sitting still in an exam hall, processing a written question, or putting your knowledge down on paper under pressure - in what is effectively a memory test.
Whether that's because of ADHD, autism, dyslexia or simply because you're a practical person rather than an academic one, it doesn't mean you lack ability. Indeed, people with ADHD are far more likely to be critical thinkers - who think outside the box and are terrific problem solvers - yet they may struggle to sit for 2 hours answering questions that are mostly pointless if you don't want an academic based job.
At Commercial Glasshouse Contracts Ltd, we don't judge people by their GCSE results. In fact, we've never asked our employees what grades they achieved. They could be straight A's or not hold any GCSEs - we have no idea. But we know our employees are great at what they do, and our clients think so too!
Why? Because as a tradie type company, we don't need someone who can recite Shakespeare to build a glasshouse. We need people who can think practically, solve problems, work safely, use tools, handle materials, learn new skills and take pride in doing a job properly. It's more important to us that you can turn up, work hard and be someone your team can rely on. Those are the skills that matter to us.
And there are millions of practical jobs where those abilities are worth far more than a set of exam results.
We want to be part of changing the perception that a young person's future depends on how well they perform in a few exams at 16. Not everyone needs GCSEs to build a successful career. We know the government are looking to change this and we would urge Andy Burnham to make changes sooner, rather than later to help young people into labour/trade jobs - which are the jobs AI will never be able to replace.
Some people just need a toolbox, a challenge and someone willing to give them an opportunity. We're proud to be one of those employers willing to do exactly that. And we urge all trade companies to follow suit.
Your exam results are a result. They ARE NOT your POTENTIAL.
