East Dunbartonshire Council teamed up with The Association of Women in Property and contractor McLaughlin & Harvey have launched an initiative to highlight the prospect of a career in the construction sector.

Pupils at Douglas Academy have taken part in a dedicated construction and property programme designed to highlight how young people can pursue a career in the sector.

The Schools Outreach Programme aims to educate pupils on the wide variety of job roles available within the construction industry.

Over the last eight weeks, 28 S2 pupils gained a unique glimpse into the key stages of the design and pre-construction process, hearing from experts in Architecture, Town Planning, Engineering, Design, Quantity Surveying, Sustainability and Project Management.

Across the programme, created by Women in Property, pupils worked with people with different occupations within the industry and through workshops learned what their job roles entail on a day-to-day basis.

They were representatives from East Dunbartonshire Council teams including; Planning and Building Standards and Major Assets; McLaughlin & Harvey the main contractor for Allander Leisure Centre, the new Additional Support Needs School and Boclair Academy; and other organisations including the Scottish Government, and consultants CDA, Ferguson Planning, Christie Gillespie, PMP and Baker Hicks.

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The pupils were tasked with designing a primary school and presented their final plans and gained a certificate at a special prize giving.

Councillor Lynda Williamson, Education Committee Convenor said: "It was fantastic not only to hear what the pupils had learned over the last two months but to see their enthusiasm and appreciation of the property and construction industry.

"It is so important that we demonstrate to all young people in our schools, and beyond, that no career or industry is off-limits because of gender and that there are opportunities and role models out there."

McLaughlin & Harvey Design Manager and member of Women in Property Caroline McIlwraith said, "It's been a great experience meeting all the pupils and introducing them to the various roles within the construction industry. They were enthusiastic and engaging, particularly in relation to sustainability and designing buildings for the future, which is a credit to their generation. I've worked in the construction industry for over 25 years where opportunities to meet female role models has been limited; hopefully this programme has changed any perception they had that the construction industry is only for men working on a muddy site."

Laura Banks, Schools Outreach Co-ordinator and Director at PMP added: "This Schools Outreach programme has been an inspirational experience, thanks to the level of engagement of all parties involved, in particular from the Douglas Academy pupils. We work in a diverse and ever-changing industry and it has been an absolute pleasure working with Douglas Academy to promote the opportunities available to them. I really hope to see some of the pupils on a construction project team in the coming years!"