PUPILS at a North-East school were given a first hand introduction to working in the construction industry.

Willmott Dixon hosted the students, aged 14 to 16, from Darlington's Beaumont Hill Academy on a visit to the town’s £6.6m Business Growth Hub site.

The visit marked the building firm’s All Safe Week and was arranged through Foundation for Jobs, the national award-winning project to tackle youth unemployment.

The construction industry is going through a sustained period of growth after being badly hit in the economic downturn, but many young people and their parents remain unaware of the many opportunities the sector offers at all levels from school leaver to graduate entry jobs.

Martin McGill, building manager at Willmott Dixon, said: “It’s always a pleasure to spend time with young adults that show motivation and enthusiasm for the construction industry, such as the ones from Beaumont Hill Academy.

“I look forward to spending time with them again as the project progresses so that they can get a good feel for the construction environment and the route it takes to completion.”

Carl Gaze, science and technology coordinator at Beaumont Hill Academy, said: “It was really nice for our engineering students to see a project like this at this stage of construction.

“It’s a memorable opportunity for them to see what will be a significant local landmark at the early stages of construction.

“It is also really helpful to see things that they’ve learnt about workplace safety in a real world setting.”

Once completed, the business hub on the Central Park enterprise zone, close to the railway station, will house up to 64 new and small businesses

Darlington Borough Council, on whose behalf Willmott Dixon are constructing the building said the development will create and support more than 350 jobs over a 15-year period.

Earlier this year, Willmott Dixon won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for sustainable development and the young people were able to go on site and see first hand the advanced methods used in the construction process.

All Safe Week backs up the group’s All Safe strategy which aims to ensure a safe working environment for all employees, subcontractors and members of the local community.

Foundation for Jobs is a joint initiative to tackle youth unemployment involving The Northern Echo, Darlington Borough Council, and the Darlington Partnership of private firms and public sector organisations, which has also enjoyed support from businesses and industrialists across the whole North-East region.

For further details contact owen.mcateer@darlington.gov.uk or go to foundationforjobs.co.uk