Career-savvy children from St Gabriels School in Castleton visited the Kellen Homes Hawks View construction site to see for themselves the type of future jobs they could choose in the building industry.
The school children from St Gabriels Roman Catholic Primary School proved it’s never too young to be planning for the future when they visited the new development of homes in Castleton to see for themselves the types of trades and roles available in construction as part of their curriculum.
They were given a special guided tour of the site by Kellen Homes Project Manager Wayne Green who showed them the houses under construction and explained all the eco-friendly features including energy-saving hot water tanks, hot water pumps, solar panels and energy-efficient insulation.
As well as explaining the importance of safety on a building site, Wayne set the children a quiz to help explain the different types of job on the site from project manager to electricians, plumbers, brick layers and digger drivers. And Wayne was surprised to discover it was the role of plasterer that all the children knew about.
Wayne explained. “I was a bit surprised to be honest. We went through all the jobs with the children and explained what each trade did from electricians to plumbers, but it was the plasterers that they all knew about. Everyone got that question right!
“There are so many different roles in construction and we want to encourage a new generation of young people to enter the profession so encouraging children even at primary age and helping them know what careers are open to them, is really important.”
Wayne also explained the history of the site which is on a former railing sidings and very close to his heart as his father, Malcolm Green, worked on the railways on that exact site for more than 30 years. Wayne said: “My dad worked here for over three decades so it was great to be able to bring the history to life for the children. My dad worked on the railways as a shunter. They prepared the rolling stock, lit all the lamps and got it ready to go back out carrying the loads. It was a job he absolutely loved and it was great to be able to pass that on to the next generation.”
The visit was part of a wider initiative by Kellen Homes to encourage young people to join the industry and includes an apprenticeship scheme and support for education in the North West.
Hawks View is a new build development offering a range of new 2, 3 and 4 bedroom houses for sale in Castleton, Rochdale. The five show homes are open from Thursday to Monday 10am to 5.30pm.
