Road to success: Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) welcomes the National Highways for an informative careers day

Newcastle College, part of the Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) welcomed visitors to its Knutton Lane campus for a groundbreaking event held on November 10.

The Highways Industry Careers Day, which has never been held in the Midlands region before, saw more than 20 national companies come together to exhibit and encourage engagement in this innovative and exciting sector.

Schools from across the county were invited to join learners studying Construction and Engineering programmes at NSCG as they got the chance to see large-scale plant machinery up close including an 18-foot screed truck, paver and gritter.

The exhibition included a variety of interactive activities, virtual reality experiences and products used in the highways industry, while students got the chance to engage in practical learning with plant machinery, robot obstacle course demonstrations and road marking simulations outside.

This initiative, part of a series coordinated by National Highways and the Midlands Collaborative Community, was all about opening doors to the highways industry and attracted participation from 20 high profile companies involved in maintaining and operating the strategic road network in England.

Organizations were eager to showcase the type of work they do and outline the various pathways into the industry, including T Levels, apprenticeships and graduate courses.

Representatives from companies such as Amey, Jacobs, Kier Transportation, Tarmac Traffic Management and Staffordshire Police were in attendance to spotlight the many opportunities a career in the highways could lead to.

James Bird, Customer Service Programme Manager – Operations Midlands for National Highways, said:

“This inaugural event in the Midlands was a fantastic opportunity to engage with students and to promote the highways industry as an exciting option for their future careers.

“Alongside members of our supply chain, it’s enabled us to showcase the huge variety of roles available, and hopefully inspire the next generation to consider a career in the industry.

“We look forward to working with Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group in the future on more of these brilliant initiatives; ensuring students have the chance to engage directly with potential future employers.”

Meryl Cotton, T Level Manager for NSCG, said:

“We are thrilled to have organized the Midlands’ inaugural Highways Industry Careers Day.

“Our goal was to inspire young minds and offer an opportunity for young talent to connect with employers, ask questions, and gain an understanding whilst providing them with a glimpse of the possibilities within the highways industry.

“Importantly, the event welcomed young women in an effort to address the gender imbalance and we were encouraged by the turnout.

“The whole event was a great success and we are hoping to make it an annual tradition.”

To find out more about the courses available at NSCG visit nscg.ac.uk or head to NSCG Newcastle College’s next open event on Thursday 16 November from 5:30-8pm.