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City College students help transform empty properties
17 March 2011
A team of carpentry students from City College Brighton and Hove, whose ages range from 14-year-olds to a mature student in his forties, are lending their skills to help put some of Brighton and Hove Council's empty properties back into use. The initiative is collaboration between the Council, City College and social housing repairs & maintenance company Mears. Tom Dowds, the College's Carpentry Team Leader, says:
'This project has enabled the students to get a taste of real life when it comes to the construction industry and as a learning exercise, it's a perfect extension of what they're learning in the workshop. When they're working on the empty properties, they're becoming aware of how the different tasks inter-relate and understand that what they're creating will have an impact on the people who end up living there so the experience of actually being there is fantastic for them. As well as carpentry, they're using other skills like painting and decorating and bricklaying which is also of great benefit to students going into the construction industry after they've finished their studies.'
Alex Fox, the Council's Building Maintenance Surveyor, adds:
'Together with our principal contractor Mears, we recognised the benefit 'real world' experience would bring to the students. In turn, their training will help return a number of the council's empty properties back into use. So, better training for students and more properties back into use for the council is a real win-win situation for the community.'
City College carpenters
City College is currently recruiting for carpentry courses from Level 1 to 3 starting in September 2011. For more details, see www.ccb.ac.uk
For City College media enquiries, please call Brian Bell, Marketing Communications Officer, on 01273 667788 Ext. 488 or email bb1@ccb.ac.uk website www.ccb.ac.uk
About City College Brighton and Hove: Situated in the heart of Brighton, City College Brighton and Hove has become an international centre of vocational excellence. Every year 2,000 full-time, 10,000 part time, over 500 Higher Education and 250 14-16 year old students as well as many international and European students choose City College as their place of further and higher education training. In addition, the College provides training to over 2,000 businesses via its 'City Business Skills' department which focuses on employer training needs. Offering over 700 courses from basic level right through to business and postgraduate training, City College is working with its partners to develop the workforce of the future.
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