Demonstrating diversity attracts students at careers event
Members of the VolkerFitzpatrick team, rebuilding the £70m Gosforth depot, supported a local event to help young people consider careers in construction.
On Tuesday 16 November, over 3,000 visitors were able to explore over fifty stands at Gosforth Academy’s careers event, showcasing different industries and sectors. Demonstrating that construction is open to everyone, a wide range of VolkerFitzpatrick employees were selected to front the stand including: ITP engineer - Jessica Hood, health and safety manager - Ronnie Johnson, project surveyor - Toby Watson, project surveyor - Ravish Beenessreesingh, site engineer - Ellen Baxter, site administrator - Judith Stains, and Amy Simons who is partaking in an industrial training placement in quantity surveying. The team provided information, answered questions, and helped emphasise the variety of career pathways, both on site and office based.
Ronnie Johnson, health and safety manager for VolkerFitzpatrick said: “It’s really important to take these opportunities to inspire students and parents with first-hand accounts about the world of construction and the spectrum of opportunities available. The day was a great success, with a steady stream of students asking questions about the broad variety of careers within the construction industry.”
The Gosforth depot site covers 12 acres and is located close to Regent Centre station in the suburbs of Newcastle. The new depot will comprise inspection roads and pits, cranes, jacks, test facilities, automatic train-checking equipment and a wheel-lathe. Features include a wash-plant to clean train exteriors, and other dedicated areas for both daily and periodic deep-cleaning. The outside area is being adapted to optimise train movements, while keeping noise to a minimum for the benefit of local residents.