Construction students from Bradford College have been given a taste of life on a live building site this week, joining contractor, Wates Construction, on the site of a new leisure centre in Yorkshire.

The workshop saw eight students, currently studying courses in bricklaying and the Btec Extended Diploma in construction management, join Wates to learn some tricks of the trade and gain a valuable insight into the day-to-day life of a career in construction.

Taking place on site at the new £6m Selby Leisure Centre, the event saw the students take a tour of the site and hear from the project team about the career opportunities available in the industry.

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The visit forms part of a series of 'behind the scenes' career workshops being jointly delivered by the Construction Department at Bradford College and Wates.

Michael Page, project leader at Bradford College, said: "It gives us great delight that Wates have given students the opportunity to experience site life and it will form a lasting relationship that will benefit the future way in which we deliver the curriculum giving students real on the job experiences.

"The College is working in partnership with Tong High school and Carlton Bolling College to create a Centre of Excellence in the Built Environment that will engage businesses like Wates into shaping the future workforce by linking work experience towards their studies, the idea is to pilot the new initiative from September 2014."

Wates began construction on the new leisure facility in February following their appointment to the project by Selby District Council. The team are currently excavating the 25m swimming pool following completion of the building's 120-tonne steel frame.

(CD/JP)