29 December - Prince’s Trust and AWPR/B-T contractor hold ‘Celebration’ event
A ‘Celebration’ event has been held for the six people who completed the ‘Get into Civil Engineering’ course, the first course of its kind in Scotland, which was developed and delivered by the Prince’s Trust and the construction contractor for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route / Balmedie to Tipperty project, AWPR Construction Joint Venture.
The ‘Get into’ programme is based on a strong educational and practical-based learning structure which has achieved considerable success in other areas, such as retail, in the north east, across Scotland and further afield.
The celebration event, held at the project’s head office in Stonehaven, enabled the participants’ to share their experiences with friends and family, as well as their wider support network from the Prince’s Trust and the AWPR Construction Joint Venture.
Yvonne Gilfillan, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager for AWPR CJV, said:
“This course provided an excellent opportunity for all the young people involved to find out for themselves what life is like in the construction industry and gain valuable knowledge about the civil engineering sector, as well as the basic skills they need to work on a construction site.
“It is of course also very reassuring to hear that they have enjoyed the six-week course and have found the experience interesting and useful. Civil engineering offers people a range of career opportunities and we hope that the participants find the right route for them.”
Euan Miller, Programme Manager for the Prince’s Trust, added:
“The young people taking part in this course have learnt valuable skills, taken part in high quality training and become even more enthusiastic about the working in the construction industry.”
“Our programmes are designed to ensure that the young people taking part get tangible experience in their chosen field, which they can use to find further training or work in that area.
“We will continue to support everyone who has taken part in this course to help them reach their goals.”
Lynne Martin, Project Manager for Elevator Projects, the Prince’s Trust’s delivery partner in the north east, explained:
“The six-week course included work experience on the AWPR/B-T project and training for the CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) health and safety programme so the young people taking part can continue to work on construction sites, even though their time on this course has come to an end.
“They also took part in workshops and presentations, including civil engineering surveying and dimensional control, quality control and testing of construction materials and road design, construction and maintenance.”
The project contractor, AWPR Construction Joint Venture, along with Balfour Beatty, Edutrain, Technical Academy Scotland and Elevator, delivered the free six week construction course, during October and November 2016.
Notes for editors:
AWPR Construction Joint Venture, comprising Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering, Galliford Try Infrastructure t/a Morrison Construction and Carillion Construction, is the New Works Contractor appointed to undertake the design and construction of the AWPR/B-T project.
Quotes from participants:
Georgia Black, 19, is a part time NHS receptionist from Torry in Aberdeen who took six weeks unpaid leave from her current job because she is determined to get a post in the industry. She said: “It has been a wonderful experience and totally different from my current job. I have really enjoyed working on site with the structures team on one of the bridges.”
Ruaridh Girvan, 24, from Stonehaven, is long term unemployed. He said: “I have never had a job and this offered a unique opportunity for me. I would love to work in planning or computer aided design. The course was brilliant in giving an insight into what is involved in road construction.”
Keiran Wood, 19, from Kincorth, Aberdeen, is unemployed. He said: “The course has surprised me by showing how much is involved in building a road. I love working with my hands and would like to be a plant operator if I can.”
Scott Yates, 23, from Bridge of Don, Aberdeen, is a graduate engineer who was made redundant from the North Sea oil industry. He said: “I’m hoping this course will give me a foot in the door to an industry I really want to make a career of. It is a great opportunity and the course has been brilliant.”
Daniel Byrne, 20, from Stonehaven, is unemployed. He said: “It was great to see all the different aspects to road construction – there is far more to it than I realised. It has been a really worthwhile course.”
Rudy Boateng, 20, from Aberdeen, is an unemployed welder. He said: “I didn’t know anything about civil engineering before this course but I have enjoyed it so much that I want to work in the industry. I have loved working with all the different machines and would love a job on the AWPR.”