28 January 2016

The team at the Bond Street Station Upgrade (BSSU), a Costain Laing O’Rourke Joint Venture project, is once again helping youngsters taste 'the World of Work.'

Working with The Prince’s Trust youth charity, BSSU welcomed ten students from Waltham Forest College in north-east London on a World of Work Tour. The day was organised by Angelika Chraska-Pongo, Community Relations Manager, and included presentations from members of the BSSU, London Underground project, team: Steve Nuttall, Project Director, Paul Brooks, Construction Superintendent, Anita Wu, Tunnel Engineer, Isabel Simpson, Environmental Advisor and Louis Ellary, SHE Manager.

The students also found out about the different routes into employment and enjoyed a tour of the site, which included the rare chance to see the Bond Street tunnelling work from a special viewing room designed for guests unable to go underground. The visit took place with the agreement of client London Underground, which is fully supportive of the BSSU project’s engagement with The Prince’s Trust.

The day concluded with a challenge that gave the students the chance to put their construction skills to the test. They were asked to build a tower using only spaghetti and marshmallows. The tower had to be as high as possible but stable enough for a small bird to sit on it for 30 seconds. The winning team built an impressive 85cm tall tower complete with a nest for the bird.

The students all enjoyed the visit. One of the students, Zeinab said: “Everyone was enthusiastic and encouraging and gave us a better chance of getting a job in the future.”

Zawdie Mascoll, The Prince’s Trust Deputy Team Leader at Waltham Forest College wanted to say thank you to all the staff for the opportunity. “The students realised that the industry wasn’t only male orientated by seeing behind the scenes”.

Thais Verhasselt, The Prince’s Trust Team Leader at Waltham Forest College was also enthusiastic about the day: “On behalf of our young people I would like to say a huge thank you to Costain for contributing time and skills to deliver a workshop on our Team Programme. At a time when young people need our help more than ever, we are incredibly grateful that you have taken the time to help these young people move forwards with their lives.”

 

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