Construction sites open their doors to local students

Students from Moulton College will be going behind the scenes of two prominent developments in Daventry to learn more about the construction industry.

Fifty students from the college who are currently studying for their BTEC National Diploma in Construction will be visiting the construction sites of the award-winning iCon centre, off Eastern Way and the £4.5m Prospect Way development, on the Royal Oak Industrial Estate, on Tuesday, March 2. The visits will be led by the contractors Winvic and Interserve respectively, and will be highlighting how the complex schemes have evolved and progressed.

The event has been made possible by Construction Futures, the groundbreaking construction training scheme created by West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (WNDC) in partnership with Moulton College, Northamptonshire Enterprise Limited, Northamptonshire County Council and ConstructionSkills. Both developments form part of Daventry District Council’s regeneration plans for the town.

During the specially-organised tours, the students will be given an insight into the day-to-day activity of a major construction project. They will also receive a Health and Safety induction as well as a presentation about each project explaining what is actually happening on site.

Peter Mawson, Chief Executive at WNDC, said: "it’s important for local people to be able to learn and benefit from the development happening around them. These students are the construction professionals of the future, and we hope that this event gives them a taste of what it’s like on a busy building site. It’s linked to our Construction Futures project, which provides local people with practical construction training alongside a college course."

Syed Mohyuddin from Mouton College said: "This is an excellent opportunity for the future construction professionals to have hands-on experience through work placements and to appreciate how construction projects are carried out in a sustainable manner. We are thankful to WNDC, Winvic and Interserve for making this happen".

Councillor Chris Over, Portfolio Holder for Economic, Regeneration and Employment at Daventry District Council, said: "These two developments are a crucial part of the Council’s regeneration agenda and I am delighted that the construction students from Moulton College have paid a visit to find out how they are progressing. It clearly reflects the great relationship between all partners involved in these projects. Both developments will provide employment and business opportunities in Daventry for years to come and part of a revolving programme of renewal of the Council’s industrial and commercial portfolio."

The iCon centre for sustainable construction will be a national centre of excellence for sustainable construction and green technologies. The state-of-the art building will contain an innovation centre with 60 small office units for businesses in the emerging market of sustainable construction, a conference hall for up to 300 people, as well as a public piazza and a café/restaurant. Work is expected to be completed by December 2010.

The Prospect Way redevelopment owned by Daventry District Council involves replacing six old, poor quality units at the Royal Oak Industrial Estate with a new £4.5million purpose-built office and manufacturing headquarters built to high environmental standards. Work is expected to be completed by July 2010.

The new building, on the corner of Prospect Way and Lanchester Way, will have more than doubled the amount of floor space than was previously available on the site and will be immediately let to local business Hi-Force Limited, a company that manufactures hydraulic tools.