Students build on course knowledge thanks to a weeklong bridge development project 

Students have been building the foundation of their careers thanks to a week-long bridge building project.

Students from the Environmental Civil Engineering programme recently took part in an intensive-week long industry project, which saw students develop and build a reinforced concrete footbridge.

The experience is provided by Constructionarium; a non-for-profit organisation which delivers educational opportunities to students in the built environment sector.

Students from year three of the Environmental Civil Engineering programme are encouraged to complete a placement, which gave student Misty Stirling the perfect opportunity to take part in a real-life industry project. She explained: “As part of our course, have the opportunity to find a placement in Year three.

In the event that we are unable to find a placement, we will continue to attend university and we complete a module called 'Managed Project Learning' as part of the course. Within this module, we attend ConStructED for five days.”

During the project, each student is assigned a job which replicates a typical role found on an industrial project. Misty explained: “My role was ‘Quality Manager’ which consisted of inspecting and evaluating the work area in accordance with plans, specifications, and contract documents, reporting deficiencies as appropriate and elevating issues as needed to ensure safe work practices and quality.

A challenge I faced involved adjusting to the collaborative dynamics. I ventured beyond my comfort zone and acquired skills including; being able to navigate differences of opinions, utilise team member's strengths and come up with innovative solutions collaboratively. The experience has improved my abilities, but I also gained a deeper understanding of the power of teamwork to accomplish a shared goal.”

Now that the project is complete, Misty has appreciated the opportunity to apply her course knowledge in a realistic industry setting. She said: “My overall experience was very rewarding, and I would definitely recommend any students taking part in the future. Being able to work on site using my academic knowledge, skills, and techniques to perform several tasks in a finite amount of time gives a taster of what it will be like to work on a construction site in the future.

My exploration of diverse aspects of construction and design has led me to discover new knowledge during this journey.”

Find out more about Constructionarium on their website

By Rachael McAlonan

Got a SCEBE or GSBS story? Email me at Rachael.McAlonan@gcu.ac.uk or connect with me on social media here