Girls from Plymouth primary schools were inspired to think about job opportunities in the construction industry at a careers workshop.

Millfields Inspired, a charity formed by the Millfields Trust to encourage young people to make informed choices about their futures, organised the workshop recently in collaboration with the South West Women in Construction (SWWIC) organisation.

A group of 42 year 5 girls aged 9 and 10 from six local schools in Stonehouse were invited to visit the site of the Millfield Trust's £5 million new development on Union Street in Plymouth being created by Midas Construction. Midas project manager Neil Baker gave the girls a tour of the site, where the trust's new Genesis building is taking shape ready to open as an urban hub for the Stonehouse area in 2015. The girls were able to see first-hand the kind of jobs involved in building a development of this scale.

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Members of SWWIC including female building project managers, architects and engineers then gave lively presentations, explaining what their jobs involved and talking about the many career opportunities in construction.

Josanne Stewart, development manager for Millfields Inspired, said: "It was a fantastic day where real life ‘women in construction’ could describe to these year 5 girls how they got into the industry with the aim of igniting some passion so that they too could think about the exciting careers in this field.

"Millfields Inspired aims to inspire young people to give them a taste for the world of work and help inform their future career choices, and thanks to our contract with Midas Construction on the new Genesis building, we have been able to deliver job and training opportunities in Stonehouse, as well as engage with local primary schools."

The workshop is one of a number of initiatives organised locally by Millfields Inspired to create a sustainable change in the community through its Widening Horizons programme which aims to raise expectations.

(CD/MH)