DONATION HELPS STUDENTS BUILD THEIR CAREERS… ONE BRICK AT A TIME

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PERSIMMON HOMES SOUTH WEST has made a donation of 10,000 bricks to Exeter College to support the training and education of future construction professionals.

The bricks, enough to construct a three-bedroom house, were delivered to the college's state-of-the-art construction facility at an event attended by local apprentices and Exeter City Council’s leader, Cllr Phil Bialyk.

Dave O'Connor, head of faculty of construction and the built environment at Exeter College, commented: “On behalf of Exeter College I would like to offer our sincere thanks to Persimmon Homes for its generous donation of 10,000 bricks, which will support the learning and development of our apprentices and students.

“The bricks will provide students with further opportunities to hone their skills in our state-of-the-art, industry-standard construction facilities, and ensure we continue to deliver a first-class learning experience.

“Our partnership with Persimmon goes from strength to strength as the college continues to develop a quality supply of talent for a multitude of partners across Devon’s construction industry.”

The brick donation was part of Persimmon Homes South West’s partnership with the Building Greater Exeter initiative. The public and private sector employability and skills programme supports the built environment to shape the future workforce by inspiring new candidates, supporting employers and promoting a culture that makes it a great place to work across Exeter, East Devon and Teignbridge.

Persimmon Homes South West’s construction director Harlan Bevis declared: “Exeter College is an outstanding teaching college with superb facilities for students looking to embark on a career in construction.

“The demand for new housing for local people in Exeter and right across

Devon is well known and as a local business it’s vital we support local construction students to maintain and develop a talented and diverse workforce.

“Persimmon is proud of our record developing the next generation of construction workers here in the South West, and we believe our partnership with Exeter College and Building Greater Exeter will further promote the many exciting careers the industry has to offer.

“We want local workers building homes for local people in Devon, and if we can develop our local apprentice pipeline and talent at Persimmon, we believe our ability to meet the local housing demand will only go from strength to strength.”

Cllr Phil Bialyk added: “I very much enjoyed my visit to Exeter College’s excellent construction training site at Sowton and seeing this fantastic facility. I was very impressed by what I saw. It was great to see the number of young people engaged in apprenticeships. Construction is so important and those skills are very much needed locally. I applaud the work that Exeter College is doing in training our young people and equipping them with skills for the future.” q

• For further information visit www.exe-coll.ac.uk