Young Apprentices Build for Their Future

A group of 18 budding builders and site managers from Walsall schools recently got first hand experience of the construction industry, when they toured a major new building site.

The group of 14-16 year olds leave their schools, St Francis of Assisi Catholic Technology College, Brownhills School and Willenhall Sports College, one day each week to study at our Green Lane Campus, on a Young Apprenticeship BTEC Construction course.

Arranged by Walsall Education Business Partnership, part of their training involved donning hard hats and looking around the University of Wolverhampton’s, Gorway Road Campus, where the New Performance Hub is being built by VINCI Construction UK.

During their visit, students met Site Managers, Andrew Anderson and Ben Duffey from VINCI, quizzing them about their jobs, qualifications and what a future in the building industry offers. The visit also allowed the students to see new building techniques, materials and current site safety in context with the stages of building.

Walsall College Construction Lecturer, Andy Thompson said: “This is just one in a series of activities and site visits our Young Apprentices have taken part in during their course. Feedback about their behaviour has been consistently positive and I am very proud of their progress”.

Clifford Perks, VINCI Project Manager said; “The students gain a great deal of experience from this type of visit; it allows them to make the link between their College training and when a job is planned and delivered to deadlines, within budget”.

The school students are learning electrical, bricklaying, painting & decorating, carpentry and joinery, and site management skills as part of a two-year Young Apprenticeship Construction Programme, set up to address the skills gap in the construction industry.

Work on the Performance Hub is set to end in the Summer (2011).