The Hands-on Park Life of Students from Barking & Dagenham College
Students from Barking & Dagenham College (@BarkingCollege) are putting their skills into practice as part of a new five year regeneration project with Park Lane Recreational Ground, Romford.
Over the next month, carpentry and trowel trades students will collaborate and spend two days a week at the park on a community led project. Trowel trades students will be creating a new pathway from the main entrance to the play area while the carpentry students will be assembling the formwork.
The project is a great way for the students to practice the skills they are perfecting on their college courses and offers a fantastic work experience project too. They will be working exactly as they would if they were on any commercial building site, so it’s not just their building skills they will be demonstrating. They will be adhering to site rules and working together as a team with a team lead. The Project Manager also assigned a health and safety representative and a Covid-19 marshal, to mirror industry standards.
Dean Foot, 18, who studies bricklaying at the College said: “I think this is a great opportunity to get some work experience. It’s really hands on and gets us busy.”
It is hoped that over the next few years, students from all areas of the College will be able to help at the park. There are plans for students to help with everything from building benches to designing pieces of artwork.
Ingrid Dick, Assistant Construction Director from Barking & Dagenham College said: “This is such a great opportunity for our students. They are getting to see what it’s like to be on a real work site and gaining valuable knowledge as a result. What’s more, it’s a great way for them to give back to the community. We are really excited to be involved with the park and are looking forward to bringing in more students to help in other areas of the park over the coming years.”
Paul Archenoul, the Project Manager, from Barking & Dagenham College added: “This is not only an opportunity to learn skills. Work experience gives a real taste for what a career in construction is like. We hope to see many more young people in Barking and Dagenham benefitting from these courses.”
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