Building industry insight for North East youngsters

Published by Craig Downs for Frank Haslam Milan in Housing and also in Communities

Staff from a leading North East company have been giving local youngsters tips and advice about gaining skills and finding employment in the region.

Members of community regeneration specialists Frank Haslam Milan (FHM) North East, took part in the Community Leaders of the Future event, held recently at the Hetton Centre, near Sunderland.

The session was organised by Education Business Connections (EBC) – an organisation which helps local schools, businesses and members of the wider community work together to deliver learning opportunities in the area.

Pupils from Houghton Kepier Sports College, in Houghton-le-Spring, and Red House Academy, in Sunderland, took part in the event.

The theme for the day was Health and Safety, with pupils asked to design posters promoting safe working practices within the building industry, based on a presentation given by FHM staff.

Sarah Butler, Business Development Manager of EBC, said: “The aim of the Community Leaders of the Future events is to give young people practical skills and knowledge they can take with them into the workplace.

“By having local businesses such as FHM coming in and talking to the young people it makes them aware of the sorts of opportunities available.

“Some of the young people involved come from areas where there is high unemployment so these events give them the chance to find out about the world of work and how they can improve their chances of finding work in the future.”

The Community Leaders of the Future Project, delivered by EBC, is funded through Sunderland City Council’s Strategic Initiatives Budget, which provides grants to schemes which improve quality of life in the area and demonstrate new ways of working and partnership involvement.

In the 18 months since it was established, a number of different businesses have been involved in the project.

FHM Community Liaison Manager Andrea Scollen said: “We are always looking for ways to become involved in the communities in which we work and events such as this are a brilliant way of doing that.

“The young people who took part in this event were very enthusiastic which was great to see.

“Hopefully the information and advice we gave them will help them in the future when they are looking for work and has shown them the variety of different jobs available within this industry.”