CASE STUDY: Balfour Beatty

Balfour Beatty operates a large local school engagement programme, linked to its projects across Scotland, to demonstrate the range of career opportunities available across the construction industry.

Pupils at Charleston Academy were given a unique insight into the construction of the new National Treatment Centre in Inverness, thanks to a unique partnership between NHS Highland, the academy and Balfour Beatty.

Throughout construction works, pupils participated in the Design Engineer Construct (DEC), an accredited learning programme aimed at providing aspiring built architecture, engineering and construction professionals with hands-on experience in the industry.

Pupils have been able to see the project progress during the two-year partnership through a series of regular site visits and expert inputs in the classroom by Balfour Beatty experts.

Across this two-year period, the DEC programme at Charleston Academy supported 60 level 1 students and 26 level 2 students – providing lessons, material, and site visits.

Meanwhile, the Balfour Beatty North Bridge Team has been working with DYW Edinburgh and Edinburgh City Council to offer supported site visits and tours of the North Bridge Project to local SEN Schools.

In early June, over several visits to the North Bridge, a group was supported by Balfour Beatty engineers to sketch, design and build their version of the iconic structure.