Students at our College are gaining hands-on construction experience after visiting our new £13-million Hunslet campus site. Main contractor, Clugston Construction, started work on the foundations and ground works last October. Since then, a total of 186 student site visits and 14 group tours have been organised up until June. The tours - covering various phases of construction – were led by Clugston Project Manager, Steve Hornby, and Site Manager, Jon Cousins. A further two student workshops were also delivered regarding construction planning, ground works, and substructures.
Derek Whitehead, Deputy Principal at the College, said: “Developing the employability skills of our students is a key strategy for the College, which also links in with the Leeds City Region Employment and Skills Plan and addressing the skills gap in the construction sector. Site visits and work placement opportunities provide students with invaluable experience; they benefit immensely from being able to experience life on a live site. What’s even more rewarding is that the students will be able to make informed decisions on their career paths in the industry.”
As a result of the project, two bricklaying students are due to start work placements on site soon, and a Clugston trainee engineer working on site now attends Leeds College of Building for tuition. Additional placement opportunities are being explored with contractor Clugston and project supply-chain partners.
The state-of-the-art, 5,200 square metre, four-storey building, which complements the recent phase 1 development, will offer a range of classrooms, workshops and an impressive central atrium.
As part of the £11.9m grant funding (through the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Growth Deal), £1m will be spent refurbishing Leeds College of Building’s North Street campus. Once complete, a large proportion of Leeds College of Building’s 6,500 students will then attend the two Hunslet sites, with the remainder using the College’s North Street campus.
Students at our Phase 2 site
