A delegation of 30 teachers swapped the classroom for the construction site recently (15th June) when GRAHAM, in conjunction with Council for the Curriculum, Examinations & Assessment (CCEA), hosted a ‘Teacher Insight Visit’ at its Ulster Hospital site.
Green hard hats temporarily replaced white boards during an action-packed day that consisted of a guided tour of the Hospital’s under construction £95m Acute Services Block, a ‘Career in Construction’ presentation and an informal meet and greet session with apprentices, trainees and graduates.
Our Digital Construction Team also delivered a practical presentation on Building Information Modelling (BIM), which allowed teachers to use Virtual Reality (VR) headsets – tools we use to give clients a digitally constructed reality of their final projects.
First-hand experience
Insight Visits are arranged to provide teachers with first-hand experience of business and industry away from the school environment.
Specifically, this session, which was described by one teacher as an “inspirational experience”, was organised by our Learning and Development Team to dispel some of the myths about the construction industry.
Commenting on the Insight Visit, our Learning and Development Specialist, Sinead Rafferty, said:
“The purpose of the day was to provide the teachers with an invaluable hands-on experience of construction that would give them a deeper understanding of the industry.
“With that knowledge we want them to be advocates and encourage their students to think about construction when choosing their careers.
“Overall, it was a very successful day and the feedback has been very positive. I think the teachers all left with a more informed view of the construction industry. I am very grateful for their participation and enthusiasm. I would also like to thank Peter (Reavey) and the Ulster Hospital team for hosting us. Their passion for construction was very evident.”
Additional information
CCEA is a “unique educational body in the UK”, bringing together the three areas of curriculum, examinations and assessment.
In 2017, our work in completing the Ulster Hospital’s Inpatient Ward Block earned widespread industry acclaim, with the project named as the overall winner at the Construction Excellence Awards.
Designed to exceed the highest building and infection control requirements, the state-of-the-art £85m Inpatient Ward Block is dramatically enriching the working environment of dedicated staff while enhancing the lives of patients on a daily basis.
Upon completion, the Hospital’s new Acute Services Block will be adjacent to the Inpatient Ward Block. Its topping out ceremony was held in January 2018 with the ambitious second phase project expected for completion in August 2019.
