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‘Building outside the Box’ CITB NI help teachers see a different side of the construction industry.
Over 30 teachers and representatives from the education sector attended an interactive workshop at Mount Stewart House, Newtownards showcasing the fact that a career in construction is more than bricks and mortar.
‘Building outside the Box’ was hosted by CITB NI in partnership with STEMNET to help break stereotypical views of construction careers. Key industry speakers highlighted construction careers in sustainable building methods, the film industry and built heritage sectors followed by a tour of the £7m restoration project at Mount Stewart.
Barry Neilson, Chief Executive, CITB NI said, “Most people are surprised when they learn about the wide range of roles in construction. They think about carpenters and bricklayers but today’s industry is much bigger than that. Over recent years Northern Ireland has seen some innovative construction projects come to life such as Titanic Signature Building and the Causeway Visitors Centre and the emerging Northern Ireland Film Industry creates a need for a range of construction occupations to work on film sets.
By bringing together key personnel from the education sector we are helping to inform careers advice and break down the current stereotypes that exist. It is poignant that our setting for this event is the National Trust property Mount Stewart House were a large team of experts including specialist engineers, conservation architects, quantity surveyors and joiners are restoring the building to its natural 20th century glory.
There is no doubt that the industry has been hit hard over recent years with the economic downturn but the future for construction is looking brighter and 1,490 jobs are expected to be created every year for the next five years in Northern Ireland thanks to a 2.2% growth in the sector. There are various methods of entry to gaining employment within the construction industry from apprenticeships to graduates, whatever method of entry you decide upon there are always career opportunities available and great potential prospects to diversify within the industry. ”
For an insight into the huge range of careers the construction industry has to offer and to give you an idea of what each job is like and what skills you’ll need to succeed log on to www.citbni.org.uk/careers
Pictured are: Gayle Beckett, CITB NI, Denis Mahon St Marys Belfast, David McClimmond National Trust, William McMullan, CITB NI and Una O’Kane Northern Regional College all at the teacher networking event held last week in Mount Stewart.