An outdoor classroom for pupils
Community campus project offering work experience opportunities
A new £55 million community campus is under construction to replace the current Inverurie Academy, community centre and swimming pool on behalf of Aberdeenshire Council.
Our main contractor on the project, Robertson Construction, has been working with Inverurie Academy to set up a Trade Route Group. This is offering pupils the opportunity to sample life on the construction site and be taught some of the trade skills.
A group of 12 fourth year pupils initially came on site once a week to discover more about the opportunities available in the construction industry. They have also been working with Robertson’s staff and sub-contractors to build a mini-house on site to learn the necessary skills, such as brick-laying and blockwork.
That involvement has now been increased to two site visits a week with the pupils using their second weekly visit to work alongside individual sub-contractors to learn different trade skills such as plumbing and plastering.
The creation of this Trade Route Group has given the pupils a better insight into the opportunities available and the skills required for working in the construction industry. Their confidence and abilities have grown through this engagement and several of them have been offered interviews for potential trade apprenticeships as a result.