Wirral Met construction students gain real-world experience

Wirral Met College (@WirralMet) students have been given an insight into a ‘live’ construction site thanks to GMI Construction (@GMIConstruction) and Peel L&P (@PeelLandP).

Plumbing and electrical students from Wirral Met visited the Hythe, a sustainable new business hub within the growing Four Bridges neighbourhood. Located next to the college’s Wirral Waters construction campus, Hythe will offer Grade A office space when it completes in December 2021.

With completion imminent, the site visit gave construction students a glimpse into the 2,330 sq. metre building, which has now reached its highest point of 15.3m. Plumbing students were shown the building’s boosted cold water system and discussed the process from installation planning to testing, maintenance and fault finding. Electrical students were shown various installation methods for commercial builds and how to inspect and test the electrical system.

Students first visited the site in April 2021 to see the initial stages of construction. Since then, students have taken part in a number of different site visits and virtual sessions with Peel L&P, GMI and Glenn Howells Architects to learn more about the sustainable new office building, as well as developing their employability skills, including how to approach potential employers and how to network effectively within the industry.

Working in partnership with Peel L&P and GMI, construction students at Wirral Met are given the chance to engage with ongoing work experience placements, apprenticeships, job opportunities and site visits across the Wirral Waters regeneration project to prepare them for future employment.

Anthony Judge, construction director at GMI Construction, said:

“We’re really pleased to welcome students from Wirral Met College to our site at Hythe. At GMI we recognise the importance of giving real-world experience to young people and investing in the next wave of construction talent.

“We’re pleased to partner with Wirral Met to offer these opportunities as part of our social value commitment to the local area. Already that link up is paying off with two joinery students working on this project through our dedicated supply chain partners and another two former students through the government’s Kickstart Scheme.”

Richard Mawdsley, Director of Development for Peel L&P’s Wirral Waters, said:

“Peel L&P’s commitment from day one was to foster those links between Wirral Waters and our FE education partner Wirral Met College. This is especially pertinent to Construction. With onsite delivery progressing at pace at Wirral Waters, there are a range of learning experiences we can offer to the College. Hythe is just the latest project in our strategic partnership with Wirral Met College that with our construction partners will lead to opportunities for training, work experience and apprenticeships.”

Sue Higginson, Principal and CEO of Wirral Met College, said:

 “Our Wirral Waters Campus is a world class facility for teaching the next generation of construction professionals. All of our young students have real work experience as part of their study programme and this shows what a difference this makes.

“We would like to thank GMI and Peel L&P for another fantastic opportunity to engage our students and provide them with opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills, whilst also helping them to play a part in the regeneration of their own community.”