Construction students experience new campus

Students from Tameside College’s construction department are learning on the site the college’s new Market Place campus development.  The students are working alongside Carillion in a variety of work experience activities.  The opportunities include the fixture and fitting of electrical and woodwork features in the new college as well as tours of the site to understand the importance of health and safety.

George Thirsk, level 3 electrical installation student said: “The people are really friendly and supportive.  I’ve had lots of help and am really enjoying the experience.  I’ve been helping to wire sockets.  It’s very hands on and I am being encouraged to have a go to learn.”

Sam Cotton, level 3 site carpentry student, said: “We are fitting skirting boards in the new classrooms. The experience onsite is great.  I am working in a team of three and receive a lot of one to one training.  There are lots of problems to solve and I’ve had a lot of tips from the other team members.”

Students from the college’s general construction operative course have also been onsite to learn about health and safety. The project will be opened up to all construction students over the course of the build.

Gail Clifford, work experience manager, said: “This is a great experience for our students.  Learning to prepare for the workplace is a key element of our courses at college.  The students gain confidence and develop good habits such as being punctual and keeping safe.  They are also building their networks with employers which will improve access to jobs and apprenticeships.  We are very grateful to Carillion, on this occasion, and to all our other employers who provide valuable work experience to our students.

We have agreed with Carillion to accommodate every level one student on site as a construction environment trainee and to give hands on training to level two and three students, meaning over 200 will benefit from the project, which is amazing.”

The new campus is part of Tameside MBC’s regeneration project Vision Tameside.  The new campus, which opens in September 2018, is part of a larger development that includes council facilities and retail space.  It follows the completion of Clarendon Sixth Form College and the Advanced Technologies centre at Tameside College’s Beaufort Road site.