Construction and Engineering Learners Join Regeneration Brainery Bootcamp
Learners from Construction and Engineering courses at Stoke on Trent College have become the latest cohort to join the Stoke-on-Trent Regeneration Brainery programme.
The five-day interactive workshop is a unique opportunity for learners to gain new industry contacts and tools to kickstart their careers.
This is the third year in a row that learners from Stoke on Trent College have been involved in the workshops, having previously had site visits to Capital&Centric’s recently opened Goods Yard, a vibrant new urban quarter next to Stoke-on-Trent train station, with homes, work and leisure space, locally-listed vaulted warehouse, and lush new public square.
The Brainery programme is another example of the College’s ongoing collaboration with industry, as we continue to respond to the skills gaps identified in the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP) with our four Skills Hubs:
The Regeneration Brainery team worked with the learners on problem-solving, presenting and communication skills to help them stand out from the crowd when they enter the world of work.
The week began at the Goods Yard in Stoke, which included a tour of the site and a presentation from new Goods Yard tenants, commercial real estate firm Avison Young.
Accompanied by social impact property developers Capital&Centric, the cohort was given a tour of the 1960s brutalist Midway multi-storey car park in Newcastle-under-Lyme. The ground-breaking project is the first car park to be repurposed into homes in the UK. The 1960s concrete structure is being restored into 111 new homes with a resident gym, mini cinema, social hub, alongside parking, bike storage and a striking three-storey open atrium at the heart of the building.
Other presentations and workshops were provided by Regeneration Brainery Ambassador Faizan Ahmed, Genr8 Developments, RJD Associates, architect firms Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Planit plus Pierre Anguilare and Lloyds, to cover all aspects of the property sector, including project management, finance, planning, architecture and design.
Each learner took part in a speed networking session with a number of the firms mentioned above, where they could quiz them about their businesses and their roles within it.
To round the workshop off, each attendee organised and presented their own presentation for other attendees, on a subject based around an area of property management.
Hassan Rizvi, Principal and CEO at Stoke on Trent College, said:
“The Regeneration Brainery programme is a unique opportunity for learners from our Construction and Engineering courses to gain meaningful experience with some of the biggest names in the property industry.
“I would like to thank Regeneration Brainery for continuing to give our learners the opportunity to be part of something that will boost their confidence, but also help to make them skills ready, future ready.”
Michele Steel, CEO at Regeneration Brainery, said:
“With major developments now underway in Hanley, Stoke and Newcastle-under-Lyme, it’s never been more important to show young local residents how they can access the economic opportunity that regeneration and investment in the area can bring. We’ve built a strong pipeline of talent with local colleges, including Stoke on Trent and will continue to work with them to create life-changing opportunities for their students”.
