Over 600 primary and secondary school children from across the county took part in this year’s Construction Week at the Lincolnshire Showground

The annual event, organised by the Lincoln Group Training Association in partnership with the Lincolnshire Education Business Partnership, aims to give youngsters a taste of what it’s like to work in the construction industry.

During the three-day event from 30^th September to 2^nd October the children, aged between 10 and 16, tried their hand at a range of activities including bricklaying, joinery, plastering and plumbing.

Awards were also presented to the best performing schools. Judging was based on the behaviour of the students, their motivation and how well they did in the tasks on the day.

This year’s awards went to Colsterworth CE Primary School, Lincoln Christ’s Hospital School and Sir Robert Pattinson Academy. The overall winner was The Priory Witham Academy which received the prestigious School of the Year award.

Kevin Davey, Programme Manager at Lincoln College’s School of Construction & Engineering, said he was impressed by the pupils’ enthusiasm.

“The children really got stuck into the practical activities which included painting decorative effects for the younger participants and building a brick pyramid for the older ones, just as they would on one of our courses.” said Kevin.

“The college helped set up the very first Construction Week 13 years ago and we’ve been keen to support the initiative ever since.

“The construction industry offers a wide range of career opportunities and, owing to the severe skills shortage, qualified staff – from builders to plumbers – are in high demand.

“There are also lots of opportunities for progression and many of our graduates have gone on to work at site manager level or even start their own business.

“It used to be very male-orientated but we’re seeing more and more women applying to our courses which we’re keen to encourage.”

Every year the college enters numerous regional and national competitions and last year its students won several accolades including Dulux Apprentice of the Year, Crown Trade Apprentice Decorator of the Year and Painting & Decorating Association Apprentice Paperhanger of the Year.

Heather Knox, Lincoln College’s Schools Liaison and Outreach Officer, said Construction Week is a fantastic opportunity for pupils to discover more about the industry.

“Events like Construction Week, where careers guidance is given through informal interactive sessions which are fun, yet challenging, can really help to inspire young people.

“As a follow-up to this event all Year 10 and Year 11 pupils are invited to sign up to our Experience Day on 22^nd November where they can spend a morning finding out the courses available and what it’s like to study at the college.

“This is an invaluable opportunity for students who are considering what to do after their GCSEs.”

For more information about Lincoln College experience days please visit www.lincolncollege.ac.uk/experience

Ends

Notes to Editors

About Lincoln College:

• Lincoln College is the largest educational institution in the county with 10,000 students across three campuses in Lincoln, Gainsborough and Newark.
• It is the largest provider of business training and skills in Lincolnshire providing training for around 1,200 businesses in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.
• The college is rated Outstanding by Ofsted and has a wide range of full, part-time and short courses for students aged 16 and above, including university-level courses.

About The Lincoln College Group:

• Founded upon a concept of ‘synergy’, the Lincoln College Group comprises a number of like-minded organisations with a shared purpose of providing exceptional education, training and related services to their students.
• Currently providing secondary, further and higher education, the Group includes Lincoln College (with its campuses in Lincoln, Newark and Gainsborough and operations in China) and two secondary school academies: The Newark Academy and The Gainsborough Academy.  It also encompasses Deans Sport and Leisure, a commercial sports centre based in Lincoln City Centre.
• Lincoln College International, a project to develop and run three Colleges in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the latest addition to the Group.
• The Lincoln College Group is also the lead sponsor of the Lincoln UTC which opened in September 2014.