From classroom to construction site: students get hands-on experience during Open Doors Week

Last week, we hosted more than 100 students across our sites for a look behind the hoardings as part of Open Doors Week.

Across five sites, each of our regional teams welcomed students from eight different educational establishments to learn more about construction careers, try out building techniques, and discover technologies that are transforming the way we work.

Across two visits to Glastonbury’s Baily’s Building, students explored topics ranging from ecology to technology, with project ecologist Kate Jeffreys explaining the value of early ecological planning. Specialists from Korec Group demonstrated a range of advanced surveying technologies, including Spot the Dog, which with a Trimble laser scanner mounted is capable of capturing up to one million data points per second.

At Pond Meadow Academy in Guildford, students took part in bricklaying taster sessions and mechanical workshops, where they cut and bent copper pipe, learned about fixtures and fittings, and wired sockets during electrical sessions.

Both traditional build techniques and modern methods were on display at Stonehenge Learning Centre. Across three events students tried out a range of activities, including wattle and daub, and thatching with English Heritage; carpentry taster sessions, using both traditional tools and power tools to cut wood and make joints; site tours and bricklaying sessions; as well as a virtual reality site safety hazard spotting activity. 

Our Southampton team opened the doors at the Gurkha Museum in Winchester to students studying carpentry, electrical and multi-trades. The visit focused on the history of the Gurkha regiment and exhibits held within the museum, followed by a site tour and look at the demolition works and construction methodology. Colleagues shared details of their own career paths and personal progression, highlighting opportunities for gaining industry qualifications.

At Hertford College and St Catherine’s College in Oxford, T-Level students from Abingdon and Witney College (AWC) who are currently on placement with us took the lead, delivering health and safety briefings for their peers and conducting site tours around this complex heritage project.

Ross Noakes, curriculum manager of construction at AWC, said of the visits: “We all know placements and work experience are great tools for student development, but the transformation I’ve witnessed on this T-Level programme has been remarkable.

“A special thanks to Rachel Bird, Paula Baleson, and Adrian Cook at Beard for their continued support and hard work behind the scenes. You are amazing people and are really making a difference to the start of some very promising careers.”

We were pleased to see a number of our trainees lead the visits in Guildford, Bristol and Oxford. Giving them the opportunity to lead sessions helps reinforce their own learning, building confidence as they apply their knowledge in real-world settings and communicate it to others.

Paula Baleson, our social value manager, along with social value coordinators from each office, headed up the programme of events.