Construction Site provides Real Life Educational Experience

University of West England
Carillion PLC

A new project for the design and build of student accommodation and a new Sports Hall on the UWE Frenchay Campus worth £77m was won by Carillion at the beginning of September 2004 and due for completion by July 2006.

Carillion had a commitment to provide a good working design, but also wished to maximize the educational aspects of innovative building methods, high quality management and to meet sustainable targets both in the design and the construction. UWE, co-ordinated by the Faculty of the Built Environment, wished to make use of the live project and the expert staff to further the educational value of site visits, research opportunities and industrial contact. 

This provided an ideal platform for the development of an agreement which gave extended and developing educational opportunities over two academic years. Carillion had commitments to evidence their social responsibility in the community and the will to give experience to their staff and to use their work to benefit the educational process. 

There have been mutual benefits of this learning process for both parties; the building up of networks for Carillion including contact with other Universities who may be future clients.

For UWE the building up of key industrial contacts who represent best practice in the industry and who will be the source of further case studies for research and teaching. From the student point of view it gave greater realism in the briefing of technology and live projects and provided opportunities for students for work placements and research projects. Over the life of the project 1000 students have had contact with Carillion or visited the site.