Bricklaying students get valuable insight into careers in construction on visit to new homes development in Minster

Bricklaying students from EKC Sheppey College in Sheerness got to see what working on a construction site is really like when they visited a new homes development in nearby Minster on Sea.

The students were invited by Jones Homes to its Shurland Park development, where it is building 171 homes on land off Larch End, as part of an ongoing relationship between the housebuilder and the college.

They were given a guided tour of the construction site by Site Manager, Shane McIver, and Trainee Assistant Site Manager, Maya Bailey, who talked them through the process of building a home from start to finish.

The budding bricklayers also heard about the importance of health and safety on site and the wealth of career opportunities within the industry.

A total of 28 students toured the site in two separate visits held across two days. Last year, a group of eight construction students from the college were given a similar guided tour of the development.

Daniel Irwin, Programme Director for Construction at EKC Sheppey College, which is part of East Kent Colleges Group, said: “Having strong links with industry employers is a major part of our offering to learners on vocational courses at the college and we greatly value our partnership with Jones Homes.

“The site visit to Shurland Park was an excellent opportunity for our bricklaying students to see a real-life construction site in action, and to get a better understanding of how the skills they are learning on their course can be applied to the world of work.

“I’d like to thank Shane, Maya and the team at Shurland Park for hosting the visit and giving our students a really useful insight into the kind of career opportunities that are available to them in the industry.”

Shane McIver, Site Manager for Jones Homes at Shurland Park, said: “It’s really important as an industry that we play our part in developing the next generation of housebuilders and that’s what site visits like this are all about.

“It was great to show the students around the development and to give them a better understanding of what working on a construction site is really like. We hope they enjoyed the experience and left knowing a bit more about the industry as a result.

“We’re proud of our ongoing relationship with Sheppey College which aims to inspire local students to develop their skills and ultimately build successful careers in construction.”