Community Skills Hub opens at Kindallachan
A new Community Skills Hub has opened at Kindallachan offering a flexible space for a range of community, educational and wellbeing activities.
Delivered as part of the A9 Dualling: Tay Crossing to Ballinluig project, the Hub will serve as a focal point for community engagement, offering access to the latest project information while supporting a programme of activities designed to promote skills development, learning and wellbeing as part of the project's community benefits commitments.
Local residents will have regular opportunities to meet members of the project team, learn about upcoming works and find out more about the project's progress. The Hub will also host community drop-in sessions, health and wellbeing events, employability support, educational workshops and activities led by local groups and organisations.
The venue also aims to inspire the next generation of engineers and construction professionals. Through partnerships with local schools, it will also host Science Technology Engineering and Maths (STEM)-related activities, 3D design and printing demonstrations, and careers workshops designed to showcase the diverse opportunities available within the engineering, construction and infrastructure sectors.
Pupils from Logierait Primary School and Perth Academy were amongst the first to experience the facility at its opening on Tuesday 6 October, taking part in a range of construction-themed activities. Local residents were also invited to tour the Hub and share ideas on how the space could be used by the community in the months ahead
Transport Scotland’s Project Manager, Ruth Whillis, said:
The Community Skills Hub has been created as a resource for local people and will provide an important link between the project team and the communities living and working alongside the A9 Dualling: Tay Crossing to Ballinluig project.
It is a welcoming place where people can come together to learn new skills, access support, share ideas and find out more about the progress of the project.
We're particularly excited about the opportunities the Hub will create for young people through STEM learning and careers engagement activities. By showcasing the diverse and rewarding careers available in engineering, construction and infrastructure, we hope to inspire the next generation and create a lasting legacy for the local community.
Wills Bros Contractor’s Representative, John Stephens, added:
The Community Skills Hub provides a fantastic opportunity to create lasting benefits for people of all ages, whether through developing new skills, accessing training, exploring career opportunities or connecting with local support.
For Wills Bros, delivering meaningful social value is an important part of how we work. The Hub builds on our ongoing commitment to STEM, skills and community engagement, providing another way for us to work with local organisations and create opportunities that leave a positive legacy.
Stuart Letford, Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) School Coordinator said
Our visit to the Hub provided a valuable opportunity for pupils to engage with a large real-world engineering project taking place almost on their doorstep.
Through STEM activities and direct interaction with industry professionals, our young people were given a valuable insight and understanding of the skills and career pathways available to them. We will now build on this visit and are looking at more types of engagement with the project.
Following the opening, the Hub will host a rolling programme of activities, shaped by local feedback, with community groups and organisations encouraged to make use of the facility and suggest future activities.
Anyone interested in finding out more about the Hub, upcoming events and put forward future ideas for activities email: TheHub.A9TC2B@willsbros.com
Visit the news section of the a9dualling.scot website for details on what’s coming up at the Tay Crossing to Ballinluig Community Skills Hub.