A charity headed up by Prince Charles has teamed up with the main contractor on the Aberdeen bypass project to give young people an insight into the life of a civil engineer.
The Prince’s Trust will work with AWPR Construction Joint Venture, Balfour Beatty, Edutrain, Technical Academy Scotland and Elevator to bring its Get into Civil Engineering programme to the north-east for the first time.
The free six-week construction course will take place between October and November, and will teach basic skills in the industry and give participants the chance to work on the AWPR.
Economy Secretary Keith Brown announced the partnership yesterday.
Since the decline in oil price more than 65,000 jobs have been lost both direct and indirectly, and Mr Brown said the initiative could help stimulate the local economy.
Mr Brown said: “This partnership, a first for the north-east, provides an excellent opportunity for around 15 young people to get involved in civil engineering, experience for themselves what life is like in the construction industry and gain valuable knowledge about the civil engineering sector.
“I would strongly encourage anyone who is interested in a career in construction to put their name forward.
“The north-east economy needs every stimulus that can be provided and our investment in this project over the next 30 years is expected to bring in an additional £6billion to the north-east economy and create around 14,000 jobs.”
Euan Miller, programme manager for the Prince’s Trust, said: “Our programmes are designed to ensure that the young people taking part get tangible experience in their chosen field, which they can use to find further training or work in that area.”
Lynne Martin, project manager for Elevator Projects, the Prince’s Trust’s delivery partner in the north-east, said: “The six-week course will include work experience on the AWPR/B-T project and training for the CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme) health and safety programme so participants can work on construction sites.
“They will also take part in workshops and presentations, including civil engineering surveying and dimensional control, quality control and testing of construction materials and road design, construction and maintenance.”
To find out more, or for an informal interview, call Lynne Martin on 07787 518 392 or e-mail lynne@elevatoruk.com