South Eastern Regional College (SERC) HND Year 1 Construction students were recently afforded the opportunity to visit the new Bangor Grammar School site.

With an approximate cost of £16 million, the project is one of Bangor's biggest and its expected completion date is January 2013. Under development by Farrans Construction, the tour was conducted by site engineer David Bolton, and was also attended by SERC lecturers Simon Cummings, David Larkham and Joanne Wells.

Students were shown around the new school building, with particular focus on the several sustainable aspects of the structure including the state of the art biomass boiler, sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS), rainwater harvesting, and under floor heating systems. They were also shown the new classrooms and sports facilities.

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In today's competitive job market, employers want more than just qualifications and that is why SERC aim to develop employability skills, through industry projects, placements and site visits.

From the students' point of view it’s a great way to see what a real construction site is like. When they get the chance to go out and visit construction sites, it allows them to apply their knowledge and provides a shop window for them to show case their talents.

These site tours enhance student learning, by giving them a first-hand look at the various processes and the chance to speak to engineers involved in the construction.

The students commented on how they benefitted greatly from the knowledge and expertise of one of the UK’s leading construction firms. Farrans have provided several visits for SERC, for which they are extremely grateful.