School visits
April was a busy month for Sacyr UK, the contractor behind the new Velindre Cancer Centre (nVCC), as staff engaged with schools throughout Cardiff and Newport, offering career guidance, support, and workshops to students of all ages.
At the start of the month, Sacyr UK attended Newport Youth Academy to begin a series of presentations to students who are at high risk of being classified as NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). The Academy provides tailored support and guidance to help individuals achieve positive outcomes - whether that's enrolling in a college course, completing targeted training, or securing employment. Sacyr UK’s Community Benefits Coordinator Joanne delivered a workshop to 15 students focused on interview preparation, offering practical tips and outlining key dos and don’ts. In the coming months, Sacyr UK will return to the Academy to deliver a follow-up presentation and a session on networking skills.
Joanne also took part in careers fairs at Cardiff and Vale College and Cantonian High School, speaking to students on Construction and Built Environment pathway courses, as well as offering advice on general construction roles and apprenticeship routes into the industry. The events gave students a valuable opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the specific opportunities available through the nVCC project.
They also visited Fitzalan High School as part of an event organised by Working Options, an organisation which provides career opportunities and educational guidance to 14–19-year-olds across England and Wales. Over 130 GCSE pupils from the school participated in three different sessions to learn more about the importance of teamwork and problem solving as well as fun challenges which involved building tetrahedrons out of dowel rods and elastic bands.
Finally, in what was a very busy month, Sacyr UK also attended an exciting ‘Lego League’ competition help at Ysgol Groeswen primary school in St Fagans, where year 6 pupils worked together in teams to partake in a challenging Lego-based STEM task involving robot programming, coding, constructing and a whole lot of Lego! Members of the Project team were there to help and support the pupils during their tests and had the difficult job of picking a winner! The pupils really impressed and delivered fantastic presentations outlining their robot designs, discussing how they worked together to build them and talking through any issues they had overcome along the way.
Maria Ortega Carreras, Project Director at nVCC, said: “It’s great to get so many pupils and students involved in these events as they take the first steps in their career after education. It’s important for them to see the opportunities available to them as well as the opportunities the nVCC project can provide them with.”
“This is an exciting time for the next generation of young adults in the area and we are here to support and guide them with their next steps, whether that be a specific career the nVCC can provide for them or those who take up other opportunities in the construction sector.”
