Belfast pupils given advice on career building

The Farrans/Gilbert Ash Joint Venture has hosted the National Construction Week launch, giving students of Malone Integrated College and St. Malachy’s College the chance to visit one of Belfast's largest building projects.

National Construction Week, coordinated by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and being held between October 6-13, targets young people with a range of events designed to convey positive and fun elements of one of Northern Ireland’s largest industries.

At the launch event, the students enjoyed a visit to the new Victoria Square development in the heart of Belfast, where the site manager gave the students a tour of the site and focused on the new state of the art construction techniques which are to be deployed.

"We want to encourage the brightest and the best young people to consider a career in construction," said Catherine McGeady, careers officer with the CITB. "With dozens of separate events crammed into just one week, the industry’s enthusiasm and commitment has been fantastic. The events planned up and down the country will help thousands of people discover the real story behind construction by demonstrating what can be achieved by some of the most innovative and forward thinking companies and highlighting the wide range of career opportunities within the industry."

Farrans Site Manager, Darryl McGuckian, added: "We welcome the opportunity afforded to us by CITB to get our message across that the construction industry is one of the largest and most important employers in Northern Ireland. This industry offers so many different career opportunities to our young people, whether they are interested in craft, technical or professional careers."

(CL)