Berkeley funds new construction skills course

November 13, 2018 / Keith Osborne
Berkeley funds new construction skills course

Year 10 students from Bay House School in Gosport, Hampshire are the first to take part in a new construction skills course which has been funded by Berkeley Homes.

The school’s Enterprise Academy has been set up to provide hands-on experience in construction skills to pupils who are keen to progress in non-curriculum activities. The course’s aim is to support and inspire young people to an industry career through work experience and qualifications.

Those taking part will work on site as well as benefitting from tuition and advice from their employers, leading to a college qualification and ‘work-ready’ knowledge and skill levels.

There are 12 students taking part in the first 30-week course, starting this month and running through the school year, aiming to gain a BTEC Level 1 Extended Certificate in Construction. They will be working at Berkeley’s Royal Clarence Marina to learn skills, gain their work experience and meet the project team while attending Highbury College in Portsmouth once a week to undertake modules in topics such as carpentry, plastering and bricklaying, and health and safety.

“We are pleased to welcome the students to this unique programme that offers a wide range of practical and employability skills that we hope they will find positively engaging,” said Chris Gilbert, managing director of Berkeley Homes (Southern). “The construction industry is crying out for more young people to take an interest in jobs in this sector, so we want to give them a taster of some vocational skills that could lead to stable employment. For students that find traditional academia challenging, school can be a disillusioning place so it is great to be able to provide a different kind of opportunity to those young people.”

Bay House School’s Enterprise Academy facility has been designed for young people who find it challenging to work in a classroom environment. They are provided with support for studying core GCSEs in English, mathematics, science and ICT (information and communications technology), which can all be essential when applying for an apprenticeship. This course is delivered in partnership with Highbury College in Portsmouth, which has both experience in providing courses for under-16s and high-quality construction course facilities.

Ian Potter, head teacher at Bay House School, said: “Taking part in this scheme is a unique opportunity that will allow this group of young people to tackle new challenges and gain confidence. It also gives them a recognised qualification in construction, putting them in a good position to take on an apprenticeship or progress directly to a trade-specific course at college if they are interested. This is a great example of the way that businesses and employers in the local area can offer invaluable real world experience to young people who need some extra support and direction.”

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