As a part of our Skills Academy incentive, hub South West are passionate about engaging our Tier-1 Contractors with new initiatives in order to support and contribute to the various communities with whom we work. Back in July hub South Wests' Skills Academy hosted an initiative day, where we provided various local and national enterprises with the opportunity to present to key decision makers from our Tier-1 Contractors, in order to encourage potential partnerships within the territory. 

 hub South West are pleased to announce that Kier Construction have teamed up with DEC! (Design, Engineer, Construct!) in order to implement the "Class of your own" programme in partnership with the development of the new Garnock Academy Campus.

The Class of your own scheme is an accredited learning programme for secondary school students and has been expertly developed to create and inspire the next generation of built environment professionals. Through a project based approach, this scheme applies pure acedemic subjects to the latest construction industry practices, equipping  young people with real-world, practical experience and employability skills.

Representatives of the Class of your own programme, Alison Watson and Liz Forester visited Garnock Academy on 2nd September to officially brief participating teachers Ashleigh Quinn and Colin Gillespie on the scheme. The teachers will attend revit training on the 23rd and 24th of September at Caledonian University, after which they will devise a programme to to work alongside the construction of the new School Campus. This will include site visits for practical experience in conjunction with the work activities, with Kier Construction on hand throughout the scheme to provide the relevant professional support. 

" By implementing the Adopt a School programme, hub South Wests' Skills Academy together with Kier are not only targeting community issues but adressing the major skills shortages that we are currently facing."

Charlotte McDonnell, Skills Academy Development Manager, hub South West

DEC! provides students with valuable opportunities throughout their education to gain the knowledge and practical skills they'll need to embark on an exciting career in the Construction and Built Environment sector. This programme provides qualification routes that raise achievement in literacy, numeracy and STEM subjects, and enables learners to explore some of the key themes that challenge society in general, through particular examples and projects within this industry.