Locals reap the rewards of student-driven Community Based Initiatives

South West College Construction Traineeship students are involved in supporting local communities by participating in a number of Project Based Learning initiatives.

Students complete a L2 Transversal Skills qualification alongside their Vocational programme. This gives them the opportunity to engage with Industry and Communities to improve their problem solving and decision-making skills through our EPIC programme. The EPIC programme is one of many initiatives that offers projects for our students to complete based around real life solutions for real life problems. Everyone benefits including local businesses, organisations and communities and it is a great way for students at the Omagh, Enniskillen and Dungannon campuses to showcase their creative skills, win prizes and benefit from future employment opportunities. 

Gemma Dunn, EPIC Project Based Learning Coordinator said:

“Offering projects like this for our students to complete based around problems in an organisation, allows students from entry level to honours degree to develop their skills in collaboration, communication, confidence, resilience while completing tasks and projects. It prepares students for job roles in the 21^st Century and will help grow our community in the future. In return local businesses and organisations benefit from ideas from our students and their experience”.

John Mc Teggart, Deputy Head of School Natural and Built Environment said:

“Project Based Learning is an intricate part of activities undertaken while learning a trade, and these projects further develop their problem solving and decision-making skills by identifying and solving real life problems. The PBL EPIC model with its 4 stages (Explore, Plan, Implement, Consider) sets the context for carrying out the necessary stages for problem solving. The students have really embraced this concept and have shown great initiative with many projects being developed, and some already completed”.

Construction Trades at SWC provide invaluable practical experience and knowledge as well as a pathway to other professions in Natural and Built Environment outside the role of an experienced craftsperson, such as Civil Engineering, Building Services with Sustainable Energy and Construction Engineering and Management.