B&K staff have gone back to the classroom to give students a better understanding of construction.
Mindful of the Government’s recent initiative to promote construction courses in schools, B&K staff building a new learning centre at Landau Forte College in Derby have become teachers and mentors to a range of students studying Business Studies, Art, Technology, Mathematics and Physics.
The knowledge and technical expertise brought to the school by Bowmer & Kirkland is proving to be an invaluable resource for the teaching staff.
They have seized the opportunity to use the services offered by both B&K and architects Rothera Goodwin to provide seminars, interviews, visits and resource materials for a number of GCSE and A-level courses.
This assistance has helped to support formal and informal learning and students have been encouraged to play an active part – both in practical sessions and in the classroom.
Ross Pioli, Director of Studies for Mathematics, said: "The students really enjoyed the surveying exercises with your site engineer using EDM equipment."
Curriculum Leader David Green, has also seen some benefits: "With legislation and practice changes in company activities, the insights provided by the personnel advisor were most helpful as business theory lags behind current practice."
Scale rulers, drawings, mini Bills of Quantities, brick sample boards, programmes and basis material costs have been given to the College.
The relationship between the construction team and the College has helped a variety of departments, including:
• Mathematics – survey exercises using theodilite and EDM equipment to measure distances/heights and undertake triangulation tests set by the site engineer.
• Business Studies – seminars given by B&K’s personnel advisor on equal opportunities, training and employment.
Seminars given by the contracts’ manager on material ordering/programming, quality and site administration.
• English and production of the College magazine 'Newslink' – Interviews with the site staff about construction of the new teaching block by media students to be included in the College’s in-house magazine.
• Art and Design – Competition open to all students to design a mural which will be hung in the new reception area.
