Year 10 students learn about careers in housebuilding during site visit in Churchdown

Schoolchildren in Churchdown had the chance to learn about careers in the construction industry on a visit to a new housing development in the village.

A group of 19 Year 10 students from Churchdown School Academy were given a behind-the-scenes tour of Asberry Homes’ Pirton Fields site, where the housebuilder is delivering 238 new homes off Cheltenham Road.

The students and their teachers were welcomed to the development by site manager Colin Wedge and sales advisor Susan Emms before heading to the sales centre so they could be be kitted out in hi-vis jackets and given a health and safety briefing.

During their tour of the site, Colin talked the students through the various trades in construction, including trades such as bricklaying, joinery and carpentry, as well as describing the skills and attributes required to build a successful career in construction. The visit ended with a Q&A in which he offered advice and tips on how to stand out when applying for jobs in the industry.

Craig Jones, Year 10 teacher at Churchdown School Academy, said:

“When Ashberry Homes reached out to see if our students would like to visit their new housing development nearby, I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity for our students to see a working environment outside the classroom.

“Churchdown is a close-knit village and some of the students and their families actually live at Pirton Fields so it was a rare opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look into how their homes were constructed at the development.

“When Colin talked to them about overseeing new-build homes under construction, it added substance and weight to the project as a whole as they learnt about the steps needed to develop the site – from land acquisition through to planning and design and the sales process.

“On behalf of Churchdown School Academy, I want to thank Ashberry Homes for arranging this site visit – these community links are so important to us.

“The memories and opportunities we can provide our students are equally as important as the grades they achieve. Opportunities such as the site visit to Pirton Fields can open their eyes to possible routes in the future and motivate them to push themselves further in their studies and achieve great things.”

Rhodri Davies, Sales Manager for Ashberry Homes, said:

“We pride ourselves on building relationships with local schools close to where we build so it was a pleasure to welcome students from Churchdown School Academy to Pirton Fields so they could find out more about the development and the housebuilding industry more widely.

“Year 10 is a time when many students will be thinking about their future careers so we hope to have given them a valuable insight into a potential career path that they might not have previously considered.”