A GROUP of construction students were given a hands-on lesson in bricklaying and other skills on a house-building site in Birmingham.

Nov 13 2009 by Tony Collins, Birmingham Mail

Retirement homes specialist McCarthy & Stone welcomed the 15-year-olds from Stratford upon Avon College to its new St Nicolas Gardens development in Kings Norton.

The visit was organised for the group of 15 students, who are taking a multi-skills construction course, to put what they are learning into practice.

They were shown around the site by McCarthy & Stone’s contracts manager Andy Herbert and site manager Mark Bullock before trying their skills for real.

Alan McDermott, bricklaying instructor at the college’s Stratford Business Services arm, said: “We were really keen to work with a well-regarded, national house-builder.

“Visiting a construction site in its early stages really brought the skills the students are learning to life.

“Meeting Andy and the team also showed the students what can be achieved through hard work and dedication, further preparing them for their own careers in the industry.”