Construction event impresses high school pupils

Construct at Preston, an event held by held by Preston’s College, saw pupils from six high schools try their hand at working in the construction industry.

The schools, including Corpus Christi Catholic High School years 9 and 10, Ashton Community Science College year 10, Lostock Hall Academy year 9 and Longridge High School year 10, went head-to-head in a number of interactive challenges that linked to different trades in the construction industry.

The teams competed for the fastest finishing time across all the tasks, which included ‘Knock the Nail in’ with Carpentry & Joinery, ‘The Five Brick Challenge’ with Brickwork, ‘Hanging Around’ with Painting & Decorating, ‘Skim Finish’ with Plastering and other challenges with Plumbing and Professional Construction.

The Construct at Preston competition provided pupils the opportunity to learn about different trades and careers within the construction industry. The challenges acted as a tool to introduce young people to the industry by teaching them various tricks of the trades through a practical, hands-on experience.

Keith Molloy, enterprise manager at South Ribble Borough Council, said: “The competition demonstrates to pupils various opportunities available in the local area in a range of construction trades.

“It’s a fantastic way to make pupils the most employable by presenting them with an array of different challenges and tasks related to construction trades, to allow them to learn valuable skills.”

Corpus Christi’s Year 10 team came out on top, with Ashton Community Science College taking second spot and Longridge High School third.

Mark Taylor, head of school for Construction & the Built Environment at Preston’s College, concluded: “The event was aimed at introducing young people into the construction industry by providing experience of various professional and trade pathways available." The Central Lancashire Construction Hub coordinated the event in partnership with the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and the three local authorities of central Lancashire.