13 February 2019
Students interested in construction are invited to take part in a four-day holiday camp during half term.
From building bird boxes to learning about health and safety on sites, the Budding Technicians course, run by Skills Jersey, will teach students how to undertake a variety of tasks in the construction industry.
And the Assistant Minister for Education, Deputy Jeremy Maçon, is particularly urging girls to sign up for a place on the course.
“Girls remain underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM subjects,” he said. “The Government wishes to address this gender imbalance by offering girls more chances to better understand STEM fields and the opportunities out there. It is vital to support female talent and encourage more girls to explore STEM subjects at all levels of education.”
Saboohi Famili, Director of Young People, Further Education, Skills and Learning, an engineer herself, has also encouraged more girls to sign up.
“It is great to see collaboration between Highlands College, Skills Jersey and private providers that brings about the opportunity for young people to explore their interests and aspirations for the future career opportunities in construction industry,” she said. “As a female engineer, I know how my early years’ influences, particularly not accepting limits that can be imposed on girls, had an impact on my choices in life. This programme is one of many such courses that aims to enable young people to better understand various career pathways available to them. We look forward to supporting various industries by partnering with them to bring such exploratory opportunities for young people.”
The course, which runs from Monday to Thursday next week and costs £50, is for students in Years 8 to 11. They will carry out carpentry and joinery tasks at Highlands College for the first two days before working with 4 Safety, which offers health and safety training courses across the island.
The week culminates with students building a tower scaffold and using specialist equipment to locate cables underground.
The course is one of many offered at Skills Jersey, which runs a variety of services for adults and young people, including apprenticeships, mentoring and work placements.
Skills Jersey Operations Manager Stuart Penn said: “The Budding Technicians course will be a fun way to equip students with the practical and theoretical skills for working in construction. It is hoped that students will be inspired by the activities and leave with a strong understanding of the construction industry and the different jobs involved, as well as new skills and possibly aspirations for the future.”
Those wishing to book a place can do so online.
gov.je