A CONSTRUCTION firm is giving teenage pupils a first-hand insight into the wide range of skills required in the sector by preparing them to pitch their own building projects.
Keepmoat has joined forces with Foundation for Jobs to launch a construction challenge for Year Nine pupils at the Education Village in Darlington that will see them prepare a tender for a new changing room facility on the playing fields at their school.
Working in teams over the next two months the pupils will not only have to prepare designs for the facility but also price up the cost of labour and materials for the job, as well as demonstrating an understanding of planning regulations.
The challenge was launched last week when the pupils visited Keepmoat’s Central Park development in Darlington, where the company is building 332 new homes, to gain an understanding of the different types of job role on site and the work that goes into such a project.
They also spent time at the construction facilities at Darlington College, which is supporting the challenge.
The overall aim of the challenge is to demonstrate to pupils the many varied job roles within the construction sector at a time when it is facing skills gaps, partly attributed to a perception amongst young people and their parents that there is a lack of employment opportunities following the economic downturn, when in fact the opposite is true, with Keepmoat recording turnover of more than £1bn last year.
The pupils will make a final presentation to a judging panel of senior Keepmoat managers in early March.
Foundation for Jobs chairman Coun Chris McEwan, lead member for economy at Darlington Borough Council, said: “The construction sector has been identified as a key growth area in both Darlington and the wider North-East, but unfortunately there has been a struggle to get that message out following the recession, at which time house building was obviously badly hit.
“There is also a need to get past the idea that the only jobs in construction involve laying bricks, when in fact there are a wide variety of roles from architects to quantity surveyors and planning experts.
“This project which is being led by Keepmoat and Foundation for Jobs aims to challenge those perceptions amongst young people and their families.
“I would commend Keepmoat for getting involved and giving up their staff’s time and expertise to get that message across to young people, hopefully some of whom will go on to develop rewarding careers in the construction sector.”
Sarah Booth, community engagement and investment manager for Keepmoat said: “It’s fantastic to be working with Foundation for Jobs to educate and encourage local children about the vast opportunities within the construction industry. Along with the housing crisis, there is underlying skills shortage in our sector and we’re keen to use projects like this to tackle these issues head on. The pupils have really taken the challenge in their stride and we can’t wait to see what they come up.”
Keepmoat employs more than 3,000 staff delivering schemes across 22 regional offices.
The national award winning Foundation for Jobs scheme has worked with more than 5,000 young people aged 10 to 24 since it was launched in 2012 by Darlington Borough Council, The Northern Echo and The Darlington Partnership of private firms and public sector organisations.
It has also enjoyed support from businesses and industrialists across the whole North-East region; with a key part of its work being partnerships with business to run practical activities that challenge school pupils’ views of sectors which are vital for the North-East economy but which are facing skills gaps.
This is often because of perceptions those young people have of the careers open to them in those industry sectors.
For details on Foundation for Jobs contact programme co-ordinator Owen McAteer at owen.mcateer@darlington.gov.uk or visit www.foundationforjobs.co.uk