Hampshire Economic Partnership - Year 9 pupils visit
construction site to see first-hand the career opportunities
presented by Building & Construction Industry
‘Constructing our Future’ is the brainchild of
Hampshire Economic Partnership’s Building & Construction
Task Group. Its aim is to encourage young people to
consider the building & construction industry as a
viable, rewarding and well-remunerated career choice.
To this end, HEP’s Building & Construction Task Group
arranged for fifteen Year 9 pupils (aged 14-15) from
Quilley School of Engineering in Hampshire to visit the
Leadbitter site at Eastleigh College, Hampshire, to see
first hand all aspects involved in a construction
project – from design, budget costing, tender,
contractor procurement and surveying. The students were
then given a tour of the construction site and the
opportunity to ask questions.
Mike Dorgan, chair of the HEP Building & Construction
Task Group, is spearheading the project and says, “The
industry is currently facing severe skills shortages,
with a staggering 23% of workers in Hampshire and the
Isle of Wight aged over 55. Even more concerning is that
an estimated 2500 young people qualified to level 3 and
above will need to be recruited to the industry every
year between now and 2010 to meet current growth needs.
Site visits such as this one planned to Eastleigh
College do not provide a ‘quick fix’ solution to the
existing skills shortage problem, but they go a long way
to presenting a positive profile of the industry and
educating young people to the diverse range of careers
available.”
The college is currently undergoing a £6.5 million
revamp which is being carried out by construction
company Leadbitter. The work will see the creation of a
new motor vehicle workshop, gas assessment centre and
the refurbishment of existing workshops.
David Cook, Director of Leadbitter’s Southern Division,
added, “We are delighted to facilitate this exciting
initiative and are only too happy to have schoolchildren
visit the site as part of their curriculum activities."
“We are very aware of the current skills gap within the
construction industry – and that’s a trend that’s set to
continue. Only through supporting schemes such as HEP’s
‘Constructing our Future’ can companies such as
Leadbitter engage with communities and actively address
these long-term recruitment issues. "
“It is vitally important that youngsters see the value
of a career in construction - whether that be as a
surveyor, architect, project manager or builder. That’s
why we want to play an active role in this programme.”
Email:
lyn.peters@btopenworld.com
Arundel Jones Associates Ltd
Hill Farm, Linton Hill, Maidstone, Kent ME17 4AL
Tel : 01622 745333
news@buildingdesign.co.uk
Registered in England and Wales No. 07334149
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