Apprentices learn on school project

College construction students helping to build new primary

A Thatcham-based company is helping to improve opportunities for West Berkshire’s young construction apprentices at Newbury College.
Civil engineering and building company Dawnus is building Highwood Copse Primary School, adjacent to the college on Monks Lane, which was started in August.
The company has agreed with the college to work with its construction students as the project progresses to completion, in summer 2019.
The 210-pupil school, sponsored by the college, will welcome its first intake of pupils at the beginning of the 2019/20 academic year.
Students will have the opportunity to see first-hand a well-managed, live construction site as it grows, as well as the transfer of knowledge and practical experience.
Interactive media students will also have access to the site for aerial photography to record the ongoing project.
Dawnus project manager at Highwood Copse Martin Holt said: “Many of our projects are for the education sector and we always engage locally to help and inform wherever we can.”
Dawnus already has three apprentices directly employed on the Highwood Copse Primary School and the Newbury Racecourse redevelopment projects, as well as a recently qualified site manager, who is a former apprentice.
Dawnus business development manager Richard Saxton said: “There is a large demand for skilled people in the construction industry and our aim is to train our apprentices both academically and practically to equip them for a successful career in construction.
“We are supporting locally a range of skills development in areas such as site management, quantity surveying and civil engineering.”
The construction work will include a new access road off the A339 to serve the new school, which will also link to the 1,500-home development proposed for Sandleford.
Newbury College principal Iain Wolloff said: “We are delighted to be working with Dawnus in providing these additional opportunities to enhance the skills and knowledge our students are developing in their courses at the college, throughout the construction of the primary school.”