CONSTRUCTION students from Bracknell and Wokingham College have been gaining invaluable experience of what it is like to work on an active building site.

The youngsters have been enjoying regular visits to Leadbitter’s construction site for Clement House retirement village in Sandy Lane, Bracknell.

Clement House is a £12m redevelopment project for Bracknell Forest Homes which is expected to be completed by summer 2015.

Project manager James Harris and site manager Gareth Lloyd showed the students how a construction site works and allowed them to see the build in its initial stages during visits last month.

They also provided the students with valuable information about career paths into the construction industry.

Student Josh Sharp, 17, from Winnersh, said: “I really enjoyed the site visit and it was extremely interesting to see how the project is run on site and how the trades operate together. It was also really useful to hear about the different career paths available to get into construction.” Construction tutor Becki Thorne was delighted with the outcome of the visits.

She said: “This was a valuable experience for the students to gain an understanding of the workings of a live construction project during its initial stages.

“Watching trades at work and hearing about project and site management enabled them to experience and understand what would be expected of them when they move into the working environment.” The students will be continuing to visit the site on a regular basis so they can experience the progression of the project as it moves further towards completion.