A North Lanarkshire secondary school is set to be a MITIE force in the delivery of a quality vocational education curriculum for pupils thanks to the official opening today (Thursday 29 November) of a groundbreaking construction Skills Centre – the first of its kind in Scotland.

 

Caldervale High School in Airdrie has joined forces with MITIE Group PLC – one of the UK's leading support services groups – to provide a fantastic facility that offers pupils the opportunity to develop construction skills that could lead to future employment.

 

The new Skills Centre is currently being enjoyed by two S3 classes from Caldervale High and a class from Brannock High in Newarthill, who are already using the centre to undertake the SQA Construction Crafts Skills for Work course at Intermediate 1, which is delivered by lecturers from Motherwell College – one of the largest further education colleges in Scotland. And there is very real potential for these benefits to be extended to even more pupils in the future.

 

Working with the school and the college, the young people involved are gaining an appreciation of a range of construction trades including carpentry/joinery, painting and decorating, and brick and block-laying.

 

The Caldervale High School/MITIE partnership project marks the first time a business partner has funded the development of a vocational area within a Scottish school and the benefits of the project will extend well beyond the development of the area in which the courses will be taught. The partnership will also offer work experience opportunities, advice on careers in construction, and the possibility of progression into employment.

 

Caldervale High's Skills Centre is the eighth in the UK that MITIE has developed as part of its commitment to nurturing the construction skills of young people within local communities. And MITIE has not only converted space within the school into the dedicated construction skills centre and provided tools, equipment and personal protective equipment as required – MITIE's employees are also being encouraged to become actively involved by assisting with appropriate parts of the curriculum and acting as individual mentors to those successful students who go on to be employed as apprentices, under the Construction Industry Training Board scheme.

 

Caldervale High's Head Teacher, Colin Bulloch, said: "I am delighted that Caldervale High is home to this terrific new Skills Centre and that our pupils are among the first to benefit from such a high-quality facility. Vocational education is about extending opportunities for all our pupils and you only have to look around to see the difference the new centre has made. It has given our pupils a real feel for a professional construction environment and a taste of life in the construction industry.

 

"The centre and the partnership working with both MITIE and Motherwell College is giving our pupils practical and relevant skills that they can use in the future and I know that from this firm foundation we can all go forward with confidence."

 

Third-year pupil Darren McLean said: "I'm really pleased I picked this class at the end of second year – it's really good." Fellow pupil Robert Stevenson added: "Out of all my classes, I'm glad I picked this class – you get a different variety of things to do such as painting and decorating, joinery, plumbing and bricklaying."Hugh Logan, Principal and Chief Executive of Motherwell College, said: "The opening of this Skills Centre presents an excellent opportunity for local school pupils to gain vocational skills in a range of construction trades. Motherwell College is working in partnership with many schools throughout the region to ensure the workforce of the future have the skills relevant to the market place."

 

Councillor Jim Logue, Convener of North Lanarkshire Council's Learning & Leisure Services Committee, officially opened the new MITIE Skills Centre at Caldervale High. He said: "I am delighted to open such a wonderful facility that will deliver very real benefits for our pupils and I am delighted that North Lanarkshire Council is once again leading the way in the field of vocational education.

 

"The Caldervale Skills Centre is just the latest example of our innovative approach to vocational education, providing pupils with the option of undertaking certificated vocational courses alongside traditional academic courses, giving them a balanced and comprehensive education that prepares them for working life.

 

"Our education system can only be a success if it works for our pupils and there is no doubt that developments like the Skills Centre help us engage more actively with pupils of all interests and abilities and help them achieve their full potential.

 

"This is a MITIE good development that will help us raise achievement for all."

 

Bill Robson, a Director of MITIE said: "MITIE is committed to creating a series of eight Skills Centres throughout the UK that provide a real opportunity for 14-16 year olds to learn building skills while at school. The construction sector in the UK faces major skills shortages and if we want to have a vibrant, professional industry we have to act to encourage new talent in from schools upwards."

 

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