HUNDREDS of North-East students have visited England’s biggest office development to see first-hand how it is being built.

Nearly 400 construction technology students from Northumbria University’s School of the Built Environment were given the opportunity to spend time with staff involved in the construction of Quorum Business Park.

The development, in North Tyneside, is defying the downturn in the commercial property sector, and could create 12,000 jobs when complete.

The students participated in the series of visits at the site, which were suggested by project manager Jonathan Ryder of Quorum, after he found it hard to gain on-site experience while studying for his own degree.

He said: “It’s vitally important that students get out of the lecture theatre and onto a live building site. All of the buildings are at different stages of the construction process and we explained to the students how we construct a building from start to finish, which I think they found fascinating.

“If they go into the building industry it is important they understand the processes everyone else goes through as we all have to work together.”