We are committed to raising awareness of careers in construction and have recently undertaken several activities in Leeds. The events aim to engage with young people and inspire them to consider future careers in the industry.

Work Experience

In January, fifteen students from Leeds College of Building completed work experience at Leeds Skelton Lake Service in a variety of job roles, from Engineer to Project Manager. The experiences aimed to give students a taste of life on a live construction site. The work experience was organised in collaboration with CHY Consultancy who provide a link between local construction developments and the communities they work in.

Over the course of their placement, students tried different roles to understand what careers they want to pursue. Feedback showed 93% of students said the experience helped prepare them for the world of work and some students have since requested further placements on site.

Placement student Reece Saddington said: "I would like to thank you for the opportunity to spend time on site learning some of the key parts of the industry and the roles available. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the site team.”

I just wanted to say thank you on a successful work placement programme. The students have had access to valuable work experience with you on-site at Leeds Skelton Lake Service which is amazing. Thank you again for all your help in organising and facilitating these placements, hopefully, the students can use this experience when applying for roles in the construction industry.

Katie Hardisty, Work Placement Officer, Leeds College of Building

Parklands Primary School World of Work Day

Last month, Adeana Raper also assisted Year 5 students at Parklands Primary School with a World of Work day. The day taught children about the different wildlife habitats that could be encountered on site and the people whose job is to take care of and relocate the protected species.

The children looked at various job roles on a construction site and were challenged to create bug hotels, decorating them with materials found in a local woodland. Feedback from the event was excellent and showed most children felt the event improved their communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills. These skills are invaluable in everyday life, and we are proud to support the children in their development.