Walsall College students visit Persimmon brownfield development

A regional housebuilder has hosted students from Walsall College at its Coseley New Village development in the Black Country.

Hosted by Contracts Manager Mark Churms, the visit allowed the  learners to get a feel for what working life is like on an active construction site, discover more about housebuilding and health and safety, and get some more information on Persimmon as a developer.

A student visiting the site said: “We had the chance to go and see a live, up and running site and the many things that go on there. From health and safety on site, the different phases of the builds, the personal story of the site manager Aaron and the company themselves, it was great!”

Mozz Baker, Advanced Practitioner for Construction at Walsall College said: “Being able to bring full time construction students out to experience a live site is so valuable in enhancing the student experience outside of the classroom. It’s great for them to see site-based innovation in housebuilding and the site and contract managers gave first hand insights into construction practices from start to finish and career opportunities.”

Developed by Persimmon, the former brownfield site – located off Newey Business Park and the Bean Foundry on Birmingham New Road and Sedgley Road West – has been transformed to deliver a new community of 472 homes. As part of the development, Persimmon is pledging over £571,000 to the improvement of local education, highways and sports pitches in the local area.

Mark Churms, Contracts Manager at Persimmon Central said: “We’re delighted to have been able to welcome Walsall College to our Coseley New Village development, demonstrating the great work that our team does as well as display the opportunities available when they finish their course.

“At Persimmon, we’re passionate about developing future talent and equipping young people with the practical skills they need to thrive in the working world, as well as ensuring they have the necessary theoretical background from our partnerships with local colleges.”