This #thinkUTC week, we are celebrating the excellence of UTC alumni, including two former students who have delivered a hands-on construction training facility for learners at Energy Coast UTC.
Project management degree apprentices Lyla Chandler, who also sits on Baker Dearing’s UTC Alumni Board, and Ellie Telford of Morgan Sindall Infrastructure co-ordinated a team of fellow apprentices and supply chain partners to build the structure inside a workshop at the UTC in Lillyhall, near Workington.
Made up of pad foundations, a steel frame, timber framing, wall and roof cladding, brick and blockwork and electrical installations, the rig will give students practical experience of building and dismantling a structure as part of their studies.
The pair delivered their first independent project from proposal to handover on time and under budget for their client and former teacher Lloyd Pittams, head of department for construction and civil engineering.
Fellow apprentices supported planning, health and safety, quantity surveying and electrical and civil engineering. MAC Roofing, Hutchinson Engineering and GAP Group Hire Solutions contributed materials and staff alongside site operatives from Morgan Sindall Infrastructure.
The project came about when the college approached its long-standing partner to help develop a training resource teaching students workplace skills, standards and teamwork. Lyla said: “The project was an opportunity to gain valuable project management skills and experience so early on in our careers whilst providing something beneficial to many students at the college.”
Eldon Garnett, managing director for nuclear at Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, added: “For more than a decade, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure and Energy Coast UTC have worked together to turn education into opportunity. The success of Ellie and Lyla, who progressed from UTC students to degree apprentices with us, shows the power of connecting classroom learning with real industry experience. Their journey is just one example of the lasting legacy this partnership is creating for future generations of young people across West Cumbria.”
An event to mark the project’s completion happened recently with contributors and college representatives, including chief executive Cherry Tingle and vice principal Simon Richardson.
Richardson said: “We are incredibly proud of our former students Lyla and Ellie for their outstanding contribution to this project and the professional approach and dedication they have shown throughout. Not to mention that their client was Mr Pittams, the teacher that started their career in construction!”
Congratulations to the students, Lyla and Ellie and thank you to Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, MAC Roofing, Hutchinson Engineering and GAP Group Hire Solutions for their support. Thanks also to the UTC for sharing this case study for #thinkUTC week.
