St Margaret's Academy CDT/Technical teacher, Charlie Swan, recently swapped the classroom for the construction site in conjunction with DYW West Lothian's 'Teacher Placement Day' – a day to provide a teacher with first-hand experience of a business and industry away from the school environment.

Charlie (pictured) attended the Maxi Construction site at Duncan Place in Leith, Edinburgh where he met with Project Manager, the Architect and various trades. Shadowing Joiners, Charlie was able to ask questions and learned a lot about their role and expectations on site; having gone from University straight into teaching Charlie admitted that he did not have any industry experience, he said: "I feel I am better informed about the roles on a construction site and I am sure this will help me inform my students who may be thinking of a career in the construction industry.

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"I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and I would be keen to promote this kind of working with my colleagues. I am very grateful for Maxi allowing the visit to happen and thanks very much to all those involved. I never felt that I was in the way and was made to feel very welcome."

DYW West Lothian's Project Liaison Officer, Arlene Nicol said: "Undertaking an industry placement provides teachers with a fantastic opportunity to bring the world of work to life for their pupils, enhance the careers advice they can offer and enrich the learner journey. Charlie's feedback is testament to this."

At Maxi Construction, we believe that engaging with education is a valuable way to highlight opportunities within the Construction industry and we were delighted to take part in this initiative.

(MH/JG)