James joined students from the College of West Anglia who attended Constructionarium, for the first time, to complete a rail civil engineering project called The Brunel Line where students plan, build and operate a section of railway line using real construction materials, processes, and plant.
Over the five days on site, students have surveyed the route, designed the railway line, cuttings and embankments; planned and carried out the construction of the of track (c90 meters); assembled and lifted into position a bridge - all leading to riding a train along the route on opening day - Friday.
As the week drew to a close, the Constructionarium and students welcomed visitors to site to see the learning in action and to help them celebrate the students success.
This unique opportunity was funded by B&CE – a not-for-profit pension provider for the construction industry and is the first of three funded events to provide practical skills to college students.
James who has visited the Constructionarium on a number of occasions commented:
“Constructionarium is a great organisation that is providing practical opportunities for young people to gain valuable experience and skills. It was encouraging to see the team work and enthusiasm among the students as they successfully delivered this project. With demand high, there has not been a better time for school and college leavers to consider a career in construction.”
This industry has a vital role to play in helping our economy grow and it is through initiatives such as Constructionarium that we can ensure the next generation of people entering the workforce have the skills to improve the sector in the coming decades.”
Julia Stevens, CEO of Constructionarium, had briefed the visitors about Constructionarium’s history. Established to address a skills gap for graduates entering the industry with no site experience, it now sees in excess of 850 students a year. It has a portfolio of large scaled replicas of iconic projects (such as The Gherkin, Millau Cable Bridge, Barcelona Tower etc) which are constructed in a week and provides real context to the learning undertaken at college and university; alongside providing a raft of personal and employability skills.
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