Our year 9 and 10 learners spent their final week at the college undertaking an exciting weeklong work experience in collaboration with Neilcott.  

Founded in 1967, Neilcott Construction is an independent regional contractor delivering new build, refurbishments and fit out works throughout London. Working in both the private and public sector, the construction company works on projects ranging in the value of £100k to £30 million.  

With this expertise, Neilcott set our learners an exciting group task to design a new build sustainable community hub considering a range of construction elements. Learners were given a detailed client brief and had to reason their selected choices, produce a model of the community hub in a form of their choice and deliver a group presentation to Neilcott professionals about their proposal for construction. 

Learners were assigned the following roles in order to reflect a real-life working project: 
Contract manager: the group leader with overall responsibility for the project, ensuring all team members work cohesively.  
Sustainability manager: responsible for ensuring the suitability for sustainable construction proposals.  
Architects: responsible for developing initial concept design and visual model 
Design managers: responsible for coordinating a design with the architect that is reflective of the client's brief. 
Landscape Architects: responsible for generating landscaping designs which preserve the surrounding environment and enhance biodiversity. 

Learners had the unique opportunity of working in a team reflective of the roles in a construction project under the guidance of industry professionals. Throughout the week learners had an in-depth exploration of the vital considerations construction companies must make such as material selection, forms of construction and balancing the budget. 

At the conclusion of the project, learners gathered in the hall to share their amazing models and present their construction proposals to Neilcott professionals. They spoke passionately about their response to the client brief and each group showed a unique approach to the project.  

“We were delighted to be able to develop and support LDEUTC and its students with a bespoke virtual experience project, providing an insight into the world of construction, in terms of sustainability, construction forms, roles/responsibilities and landscaping. As a college dedicated to design and engineering the project enabled students to utilise their existing knowledge, onsite facilities and the expertise of LDEUTC’s staff to develop creative design proposals for a new build community hub. Students were not only able to explore their creativity skills, but were also able to enhance their employability, including teamworking, public speaking, presentation and time management. The abilities of the students were exceptional, with the delivery of complex models (both physical and digital) and detailed proposals integrating their design. The high-quality proposals develop by students far exceeded our expectations and is a clear testament to the curriculum and facilities on offer at LDEUTC, as well as the dedication of their staff. It was a real pleasure to deliver this project with LDEUTC and we hope their students have been inspired to consider a future career in construction. We look forward to continuing our relationship with LDEUTC in the future, with the delivery of site tours, educational workshops and T-Level placement opportunities.” Jenn, Bid & Social Value Manager at Neilcott Construction.

Thanks to Neilcott for providing such a comprehensive experience of the construction process, where learners had the opportunity to learn about key roles in the industry whilst truly expressing their creativity!