Forty Building Surveying students from the University of the West of England (UWE) are being invited by the Council to take part in a pioneering new scheme that will integrate their learning into the professional building industry.
‘Learning in Context’ will give the participating UWE students access to live Council projects, providing them with first-hand experience and skills they can apply to jobs in the future.
The Council’s Property Services Team has been working in collaboration with UWE to establish this new educational partnership. The scheme has been developed to work alongside some specific modules of the Building Surveying course and Graduate Diploma, and will allow the students to relate what they are learning in lectures, directly to what is happening on live projects.
Giving the students the opportunity to attend site visits, with professional lectures on location, and project briefings, will provide them with invaluable experience and an edge in the job market.
Christian Knibbs, a part time Building Surveying student said, “This is an excellent opportunity for us to experience a complex refurbishment project from inception to completion and to gain professional knowledge during our studies. I am already looking forward to future visits to see how development is progressing and the challenges that are encountered in delivering this project.“
Miles Barnes, Chartered Building Surveyor at the Council who has led their involvement, said, “This work is vital for the students as it puts the theoretical teaching into a real world context. The Council recognises the need to continually develop and demonstrate our commitment to educational partnerships. UWE is a primary educator in quality built environment courses, and is recognised by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. This collaboration also ensures that students and graduate professionals recognise that the Council is at the forefront of construction excellence.“
The first ‘on location’ event took place recently with a guided tour of 11/12 Abbey Church Yard (formerly Binks Café). The students were provided a detailed insight into the buildings history and project background, along with overview of the impending refurbishment into the Roman Baths Café, a project managed by property services on behalf of Heritage Services.
Tony Selman, Associate Head for the Department of Construction and Property, developed the project with Mr Barnes and is delighted to be a part of the scheme. He said, “The first visit provides an excellent start to the year for these students in illustrating the relationship between building refurbishment, adaptation and development economics. This is an exciting first step in building mutually beneficial relationship between the Council and the university.“
A blog documenting the progression of the projects has been established as another new venture, and will be updated in accordance with work taking place. This blog can be viewed at: http://bclearningincontext.blogspot.com.
