Winchburgh developers lay foundations for future career paths

More than 150 first-year secondary school pupils at Winchburgh Academy have taken part in Developing Winchburgh in the past three years, with many defining their career goals and direction of study based on their experience of working with professional consultants, construction firms, housebuilders and utility suppliers involved in creating an expanding town to the west of Edinburgh, which will in a decade be home to 14,000 people.

This year, Lovell, the housebuilder delivering a 176-home mixed-tenure development at the heart of the emerging town centre, has offered its support by dedicating six members of staff to the programme. Sixty first-year pupils from Winchburgh Academy will, across the six-week programme, receive a detailed insight into all the work that goes into placemaking as well as into what it takes to work in the jobs required to deliver a vast masterplan like that in their hometown.

Masterclasses, workshops and site visits for pupils will be delivered by planning consultants, media specialists, architects, engineers, lawyers, landscape architects, ecologists and masterplanners Winchburgh Developments Ltd., who lead the development of Winchburgh and created the schools’ programme.

Hailing the success of the programme, Penny Lochhead of Winchburgh Developments said: “This partnership programme’s primary goal is to motivate the upcoming talent in Winchburgh by introducing them to various career paths. They can witness these opportunities first-hand within their own community as it undergoes significant development.

“We are so grateful to our diverse consultant teams who give their time to this programme each year. This year, Lovell have joined us, and we are delighted they have committed to a three-year involvement in the programme.

“We will offer a variety of site visits across Winchburgh and one of those will be to the Lovell site to gain first-hand knowledge and insight into the skills and roles in housing development, from laying foundations, to health and safety and house sales. Success for this initiative means inspiring even a single student through the people they meet and the experiences they have here.”

Lovell will bring to the programme their quantity surveyor Abigale Kyle, who will lead hands-on sessions for third- and fourth-year girls across Winchburgh Academy and Sinclair Academy.

Tony Rankin, regional managing director of Lovell in Scotland, said: “Winchburgh is a remarkable place to be building right now, and being part of a community as it grows from the ground up brings with it a real responsibility. The Developing Winchburgh programme is exactly the kind of initiative we want to be part of, because it connects young people directly with the careers being created on their doorstep.

“Construction offers genuinely diverse, rewarding and well-paid careers, but too few young people, particularly young women, are aware of the opportunities. We hope that by opening up our construction site to the next generation we can play a small but meaningful part in changing that.”

Drew McAllister, development manager at Winchburgh Developments, will also deliver three sessions on civil engineering and its importance in developing places to live. Pupils will also be asked to build and test models of the new rail overbridge, one of the four bridges recently constructed by Winchburgh Developments.

Drew said: “While the sessions are ultimately about fun and pupil participation, I am hopeful we can encourage everyone involved to consider a career in civil engineering.”

School deputy head Colin Kerr said: “The Developing Winchburgh programme has become a key component of our school curriculum, providing our students with the chance to collaborate directly with the professionals and companies shaping our town. Through this initiative, our young people have gained a deeper awareness of the career paths available right here in their community, discovering the diverse range of sectors that contribute to the construction industry.

“We are already seeing some students aspire to future careers in some of the roles they have learned about firsthand. This practical approach has been invaluable in helping them understand their local environment, and we are deeply appreciative of the support from our partners. We look forward to seeing these collaborations continue to expand and thrive throughout the next school year.”

The companies taking part in the Developing Winchburgh Schools Partnership Programme are Winchburgh Developments Ltd., Lovell, West Coast Capital, PMR Leisure, Pinsent Mason, landscape architects and architects from SLR, specialist ecologists from Ramboll, planning consultants PPCA, and Tailormade Media.