Clegg Construction has completed a new Students’ Union building at a West Midlands university. The build was carried out by the Nottingham-based company at Aston University in Birmingham, on behalf of Aston Students’ Union as part of a £6.1m design and build contract. The modern new build replaces the 1960s
20 construction and trade students have been welcomed by Stepnell to a number of high-profile building sites across Leicester. There they were offered hands-on work experience on five major projects within the commercial, conservation, education and health sectors. The students took part in up to 60 days of work in their field
Level 3 Construction students at Cambridge Regional College (CRC) have been offered an opportunity to gain valuable work experience with a major local employer. Willmott Dixon, one of the UK’s largest construction companies with a regional office in Cambridge, spent the day at CRC interviewing students on a Construction Management
Kent-headquartered national building contractor, United Living, has secured more than £25 million worth of housing maintenance and refurbishment contracts across the South East region. The business, which works in partnership with housing providers throughout England and Wales to build new homes and refurbish existing properties, has made a strong start
City of Bristol College students and apprentices aged 16 to 18 will benefit from support from Dickies, as the two announce their partnership. With a focus on employability and personal development, the partnership will help those preparing for a career in a range of vocational and technical trades and profession
A new construction skills course funded by developer Berkeley Homes will provide practical experience of working in construction to a group of Year 10 students from Bay House School’ Enterprise Academy. By funding this new innovative course, Berkeley Homes hopes not only to provide a valuable opportunity to the students
Regional contractor G F Tomlinson has started work on three new alternative provision Free School academies in Lincolnshire. The Springwell Alternative Academies project is being delivered in partnership with Wellspring Academy Trust and will create more than 180 places for students aged 4-16. The three academies consist of two brand
THE money a secondary school is expected to save by taking small steps to become more eco-friendly will be pumped back into the curriculum – benefiting more than 1,200 students in Lincoln. More than 1,600 LED lights are being installed at the North Kesteven Academy – in North Hykeham –
BDC 319 : Aug 2024
Clegg Construction has completed a new Students’ Union building at a West Midlands university. The build was carried out by the Nottingham-based company at Aston University in Birmingham, on behalf of Aston Students’ Union as part of a £6.1m design and build contract. The modern new build replaces the 1960s Students’ Union building and is located at the heart of the university campus. The two-storey steel framed building was designed by architects Robothams and has striking full height glazing. There are a range of facilities inside including a café, bar and restaurant, shop, social spaces, prayer room and washing facilities, games area, media room, multi-exhibition and rehearsal space and office space for the union’s student officer team and services. Sustainability is a key factor of the new building which includes district heating, use of sustainable timbers, photovoltaic panels and a strict recycling policy – the building has also achieved an A-rated Energy Performance Certificate. Simon Blackburn, Managing Director of Clegg Construction, said: “This is a fantastic new venue for the Students’ Union and is among the most modern and sustainable of its type in the country.“We were delighted to work with Aston University once again having also completed the new labs for the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies.” Amna Atteeq, Students’ Union president said: “It’s been a pleasure working with Clegg Construction over the last 12 months on the new SU, I know students are going to absolutely love it and it’s going to become a home from home whilst they are studying at Aston. I’m going to be finishing my studies next year and I can’t wait to spend time enjoying the amazing new building.” This was the third project Clegg Construction has completed at Aston University in recent years. It completed the new facility for the Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies in November 2017. Prior to that it carried out a £5.2m remodelling of the School of Engineering and Applied Science’s chemical engineering and applied chemistry facilities. Clegg Construction has completed schemes for the University of Birmingham and University of Nottingham and last year the new £10.1m Science Centre for the University of Wolverhampton.
20 construction and trade students have been welcomed by Stepnell to a number of high-profile building sites across Leicester. There they were offered hands-on work experience on five major projects within the commercial, conservation, education and health sectors. The students took part in up to 60 days of work in their field of choice over the last three months. The sites they worked on included St Martins Lodge, Percy Gee Building students’ union, Friars Mill commercial offices, De Montfort Mews student accommodation and Langwith Medical Centre. The scheme was delivered in partnership with Leicester Employment Hub and Leicester College “We have been working closely with Leicester Employment Hub to identify suitable placement opportunities for students looking to build a career in construction and enhance their knowledge. Thanks to our expertise across different sectors, we have been able to offer valuable placements on projects that will have a lasting impact on local people.Tom Sewell regional director from Stepnell said: “The site teams have really enjoyed coaching the students and their enthusiasm to learn and ask questions has meant that they have made the most of the time with our employees. “Investing in the communities we work within and the future generation of the workforce is something we’re really passionate about at Stepnell and we look forward to securing more work experience opportunities for young people in the future.”
Level 3 Construction students at Cambridge Regional College (CRC) have been offered an opportunity to gain valuable work experience with a major local employer. Willmott Dixon, one of the UK’s largest construction companies with a regional office in Cambridge, spent the day at CRC interviewing students on a Construction Management course in preparation for them taking part in the company’s work experience programme. The ten students made such a good impression during interview that they have all been offered a place on the programme. Natalie Sidey, Wilmott Dixons Regional community engagement officer, said “We were really impressed by the attitude of the students and how engaged they are in their course. They said it was the best decision to enrol at the college and spoke really positively about the course, expressing very clear ideas about what roles they wanted to pursue in Construction, Site Management, Surveying and Design in particular.” Phillip Grimshaw, Lecturer in Design & Construction at the College, was clearly delighted for his students, saying “Employer engagement is very important and the students really value this kind of exercise. Willmott Dixon staged a series of interviews with our learners giving them the opportunity to gain vital experience and help prepare them for the work environment”. Cambridge Regional College has some of the best construction facilities in the region with professionally-qualified and experienced tutors. Past students have gone on to study architectural technology, project management, quantity surveying and building surveying at universities including Anglia Ruskin University, Westminster, Plymouth and Leeds. Students can also go straight into work in the busy construction sector or choose to become an apprentice, for instance on a civil engineering apprenticeship.
Kent-headquartered national building contractor, United Living, has secured more than £25 million worth of housing maintenance and refurbishment contracts across the South East region. The business, which works in partnership with housing providers throughout England and Wales to build new homes and refurbish existing properties, has made a strong start to the year, with a host of client wins for its 152-strong southern refurbishment team. They include: An appointment to a £6m contract with the University of Essex to refurbish a high-rise student accommodation block with external groundworks, in Colchester A £2m remodelling and refurbishment contract for Network Housing at Colebrook Court, a vacant building in Cuffley, Herts, which will create 11 new, modern standard homes in the roofspace An award to undertake kitchen and bathroom replacements to various homes managed by Metropolitan, with an initial value of around £1m Works to support Anchor Housing with various improvements to sheltered housing schemes across London and the home counties Installation of new class A2 aluminium cladding and insulation across an occupied block in Croydon on behalf of Firstport LLP The first stage award for design development and planning for replacement cladding across two properties managed by Lewisham Homes Fire protection improvements and installation of new sprinkler systems to three buildings managed and owned by Canterbury City Council, in Whitstable and Herne Bay Further works to upgrade kitchens and bathrooms across homes managed by Stevenage Council Daren Moseley, managing director for refurbishment (south) at United Living, said: “Housing providers and local authorities continue to face the challenges of a broken housing market with very stretched resources. We have the expertise to help them ensure their existing stock has longevity and surpasses regulatory standards. But more importantly, we’re trusted as a partner because of the added value we strive to bring to our projects; whether that’s through our training and skills programmes, or how we support the communities in which we work.”
City of Bristol College students and apprentices aged 16 to 18 will benefit from support from Dickies, as the two announce their partnership. With a focus on employability and personal development, the partnership will help those preparing for a career in a range of vocational and technical trades and profession with extended opportunities for learning. “We’re excited to be working with City of Bristol College as part of our commitment to instil pride in the next generation of tradespeople. Workwear can play a big part in feeling confident and ready to do a good job, but we know that’s just one aspect to starting a career on the right note. By supporting colleges like this to motivate and encourage students and apprentices, we hope we can make a difference to the careers of future tradespeople,” commented James Whitaker, Marketing Director for Dickies. The global workwear brand will also deliver talks by inspirational speakers and mentors and sponsorship of the College’s Student Awards, as well as provide items of specialist clothing and student induction packs to help students and apprentices with their studies and development. “A skilled, knowledgeable and motivated workforce is an essential ingredient for building a strong and sustainable economy. Our students were delighted with their Dickies induction packs containing essential items to help them make good progress in their studies and career development,” said Emma Jarman, Vice Principal – Curriculum and Quality. “Our partnership with Dickies will enable us to continue developing rich and stimulating learning experiences of our students and apprentices through co-design and co-delivery of our curriculum and engagement with current and highly respected industry practitioners,” Emma added.
A new construction skills course funded by developer Berkeley Homes will provide practical experience of working in construction to a group of Year 10 students from Bay House School’ Enterprise Academy. By funding this new innovative course, Berkeley Homes hopes not only to provide a valuable opportunity to the students taking part, but also to inspire more young people to consider a career in construction related industries. Initially twelve students will take part in the 30-week course, which starts this month and will run through the school year, resulting in a BTEC Level 1 Extended Certificate in Construction. This will involve attending Highbury College in Portsmouth once a week to undertake modules in topics such as carpentry, plastering and bricklaying, as well as health and safety. The teenagers will gain hands-on experience of working at Berkeley’s nearby Royal Clarence Marina development in Gosport. Regular visits will give students a chance to set foot on a live construction site, watch The Bridge House develop, and meet the Project Team. “We are pleased to welcome the students to this unique programme that offers a wide range of practical and employability skills that we hope they will find positively engaging. The construction industry is crying out for more young people to take an interest in jobs in this sector, so we want to give them a taster of some vocational skills that could lead to stable employment. For students that find traditional academia challenging, school can be a disillusioning place so it is great to be able to provide a different kind of opportunity to those young people,” said Chris Gilbert, Managing Director of Berkeley Homes (Southern). Bay House School’s Enterprise Academy, based on Military Road, is a facility designed for young people that need extra support and who can find it more challenging to work in a classroom environment. As well as doing core GCSEs in English, mathematics, science and ICT, they work towards accredited qualifications in vocational and business skills. This course is delivered in partnership with Highbury College in Portsmouth, which is experienced in providing pre-16 courses and has excellent construction course facilities.
Regional contractor G F Tomlinson has started work on three new alternative provision Free School academies in Lincolnshire. The Springwell Alternative Academies project is being delivered in partnership with Wellspring Academy Trust and will create more than 180 places for students aged 4-16. The three academies consist of two brand new facilities; on New Beacon Road, Grantham and Macauley Drive, Lincoln. The third is located in Mablethorpe at the former Monks Dyke Tennyson secondary school where three existing small teaching blocks are being refurbished, remodelled and extended to create the new Academy. The academies will provide learning opportunities for children and young people who are unable to attend mainstream schools for a variety of reasons ranging from mental or physical health difficulties to behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. Each academy will accommodate around 60 pupils and, in addition to specialised teaching spaces, will feature an assembly hall, SEN (Special Educational Needs) therapy room, sensory room, hygiene room, fitness suite, parents’ room and multiple use games area. Ian Dalby, framework manager at G F Tomlinson said: “G F Tomlinson has an outstanding track record in delivering educational projects for local communities under the ESFA Framework. “We are thrilled to have started on site and are looking forward to working with Wellspring Academy Trust over the coming months to deliver these new academies, giving students the chance to reach their full potential in an environment which suits their individual needs.” Josh Greaves, chief operating officer from Wellspring Academy Trust, said: “We are hugely excited that work is now underway across the three sites under G F Tomlinson’s curation, whose reputation speaks for itself. “These will be transformational facilities for the children of Lincolnshire, supporting the Wellspring’s aspiration to make a difference to the lives and life chances of all those within our care.” All three schools are expected to complete in summer 2019.
THE money a secondary school is expected to save by taking small steps to become more eco-friendly will be pumped back into the curriculum – benefiting more than 1,200 students in Lincoln. More than 1,600 LED lights are being installed at the North Kesteven Academy – in North Hykeham – during the summer holidays by Lincolnshire-based Greenio, a company that specialises in the installation and maintenance of renewable energy systems. Once completed, the project will offer savings of over 125,000kg of carbon dioxide per year – saving the school more than £270,000 over the next 15 years, or almost £25,000 annually. Paul Allison, head of finance at North Kesteven Academy, said: “Our students and 150 members of staff will return to the school in September to a brighter and better working environment. “It is a pleasure to be working with Greenio as it is a local company that has a great track record of delivering renewable projects, specifically in the education sector in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. Our governors instantly gained confidence in Greenio that we would see required savings in what is, for us, the largest one-off project on our site in the last five years – especially at a time when funding for the sector is under great pressure. “We enjoy some outstanding facilities at North Kesteven Academy and are proud of our breadth of curriculum and the opportunities presented to our students, especially in the performing arts. The money we will save from this project can be ploughed back into building on this.” Using an innovative funding model, the installation is cost neutral, with the school paying the difference in savings for the duration of a five-year payback period in order to cover the capital cost of the equipment. Anna Wooster, managing director of Greenio, said: “We have been working with the North Kesteven Academy since the beginning of 2016 so we are looking forward to helping the school take steps to become more eco-friendly over the summer holidays. “We’d also like to thank Paul Allison for his hard work on what is the biggest project the school has seen over the past five years. He took the scheme on when he first started at the academy over 12 months ago, taking it through the multiple different stages before getting it finalised and signed off by the governors. He has been a big driving force in making this happen, which will have a major benefit to Lincoln pupils for decades to come. “LED lamps have revolutionised energy-efficient lighting, taking over from incandescent and standard fluorescent tubes. Customers can enjoy the benefits of a system that delivers significant savings in fuel costs and carbon emissions as LEDs consume up to 90% less power than incandescent bulbs. “Schools changing their lightbulbs will always be in a positive position as there are no upfront costs. We have been involved in dozens of educational projects since we started in 2013 and many schools have bought new equipment such as laptops and books with the money they have saved. Others have invested in their staff development and even hired extra members of staff.” Greenio, based in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, is now starting to work with local councils across the UK to reach out to schools and offer them cost-saving heating and electrical solutions. Anna added: “Our engineers will be working at North Kesteven Academy throughout the summer holidays, however for previous educational projects, we have worked during term times, including late out-of-hours shifts, to ensure the smoothest transition and ensure no classes are interrupted.” To learn more about this project, or to find out how you can improve your carbon footprint and save money, contact Greenio on 0800 810 0565.
