Made in Northern Ireland – for Yorkshire

‘Spectacular’ fact-finding trip for Leeds students 

Students from Leeds have crossed the Irish Sea to find out how their new college block is being built. 

Eight learners from Leeds Sixth Form College and Leeds City College flew to Belfast to visit the headquarters of modular buildings specialist, McAvoy. 

The group was treated to a tour of the factory which included a look at modules – building units – that are being made for a new sports and science block at their Park Lane campus. 

The students, who were welcomed by McAvoy’s Preconstruction Director, Stephen Clayton, also got a chance to see and control a new £650,000 combi-lift. 

A top-tier educational experience

For Karen Chimbumu, that was the highlight of a ‘spectacular’ trip. She said: “The most amazing part was getting a chance to operate the combi-lift, which is one of its kind, and also watching my fellow students operate the VR headsets which allowed them to ‘walk around’ the science and sports building. 

“We also got to virtually construct a mini-module which was great and made us feel as though we were taking part in the actual modular building project.

“Overall, the total experience was just spectacular – they all showed us great hospitality and gave us a top-tier experience.” 

The trip was led by Park Lane Campus Operations Manager, Andy Shaw and Deputy Head of STEM at Leeds Sixth Form College, Alexandra Wilkinson. They were both delighted to see how much everyone got out of it. 

Ms Wilkinson said: “The visit gave students a unique opportunity to see how design, manufacturing and transport all work together to make the building we will have on our campus in early 2025. We’re looking forward to taking students to visit the site when our modules arrive in the new year.”

An inspirational insight into construction

Mr Shaw added: “The trip gave me a whole new appreciation for the scale and craftsmanship involved in the construction of our new C Block. 

“It was amazing to share this experience with the students and watch their excitement as they learned about the modular construction process and how innovative ideas can turn into reality. 

“The McAvoy team was welcoming, passionate and professional, and the whole trip left us all feeling inspired. It was a privilege to witness such a forward-thinking approach to construction, and I’m excited to see this building in action.” 

Modular construction involves making parts of a building at a different location and then putting them together on the development site. The approach can result in substantial cost and time savings, because construction of the units takes place in a remote factory while the on-site ground and foundation work gets underway. 

Work on the new three storey block at Park Lane campus, which will create facilities for 250 more students in the Science and Sport departments at Leeds City College and Leeds Sixth Form College, began in September.