An infinite journey

Working with West Suffolk College

Our journey with West Suffolk College

Amongst many things, Helen has a passion for opening young people’s eyes to the art of what is possible for a career in construction, and her work with West Suffolk College has shown the difference that early intervention career advice can have.

"Over the last decade, we have delivered a lot of projects in and around Bury St Edmunds and the wider Suffolk county. We really wanted to use these projects as a springboard for showcasing what we do to young people and creating a meaningful connection with an education establishment that would feed our talent pipeline and help the college meet their Gatsby benchmarks too."

It was during the construction of a brand-new extension at King Edwards VI School in Bury St Edmunds back in 2016, that Helen established our relationship with West Suffolk College, starting with some guest lecturing, STEM workshops and CV and interview technique sessions for the students.Having interviewed a few of the students in these technique workshops, it became apparent that there was a real thirst for more with the students, and off the back of these early engagements a string of site visits and two-week work experience placements for students were formalised.Elliot Chaplin was one pupil back in 2016 that came to the King Edward VI school extension project from West Suffolk College as part of the newly formed work experience partnership:

This has been a fantastic opportunity for me. Being able to shadow the brick layers and help install a number of blocks has given me real world experience on an actual project – something you just can’t get in the classroom. You also get to meet lots of different people, all of whom have given me the support and advice I need. It’s definitely given me a thirst to progress in the industry and I’m truly grateful to have had this opportunity.

Elliot Chaplin, West Suffolk College

In addition to regular work experience placements, the college has regularly visited a range of local projects to get a better understanding of construction techniques and roles available.The £24 million West Suffolk Operational Hub scheme in Bury St Edmunds inspired 520 students across a range of different curriculum events.It became so popular that the team built a dedicated viewing platform for the students to see the huge scheme from a vantage point.

Events like this at the WSOH project are so important for our students. It enabled them to relate classroom to real life and really understand the scale of it. You don't understand the detail and scale in the classroom as well, so coming here and seeing this project helps put it all together perfectly.