Students on a 4 week Carpentry course run by Construction Youth Trust (CYT) were tasked with building a bespoke dining table made from 400 year old Baltic Pine recovered from Kings Cross Granary, just behind Kings Cross Station. The carpentry course funded by Camden Council ‘Build Brighter Futures’ programme, in partnership with ‘Kings Cross Construction training centre’ and ‘Global Generation’ asked 8 young adults, mostly locals between the ages of 17-30 to build a table from completely recycled timber. Those who took part in a training course said it was a great success.
The aim was to achieve OCN Level 1 Health and Safety in a construction environment. ‘Global Generation‘ who work to raise awareness about environmental issues and who have a fairtrade restaurant located at Kings cross were on hand and ‘CYT’ also had a volunteer on the programme – Rebecca Newman who is a newly qualified teacher and a Masters graduate in environmental science. She delivered a lesson on the issues surrounding sustainability in Carpentry and in the construction industry more generally as part of the course. The completed table has now been put to good use in Global Generation’s restaurant space appropriately named ‘Skip Garden’ at Kings Cross. One of the students commented: “It contributed to my life experience, the course and all the skills I gained from it will last me a life time.
The table was presented to Global Generation at a ceremony on the 7th August which was attended by Christine Townley, Executive Director of CYT, Christine commented: “This was a very exciting project for the Trust – it worked with something old, and with young people to bring the private, public and third sectors together. I was very impressed with how much the young people had learnt about the different types of wood, they really understand what sustainable means now. At the Trust we prize our projects where we work with young people to help them make something for the community. It’s a win-win every time.”
Having completed the course, many of the students are moving on to more work experience, training and employment, including a carpentry apprenticeship, a plumbing job, and a plumbing apprenticeship.
About Budding Builders
Construction Youth Trust works with young people aged 14 to 30 to help them overcome barriers and access employment opportunities in the construction industry. The Trust works with young people from challenging backgrounds including young offenders, care leavers, the long-term unemployed and also those who are just unaware of the opportunities available to them within construction industry. They offer young people the chance to find out more about careers in construction by giving them experience, the opportunity to meet employers in the industry and take part in informative and practical courses. Construction Youth Trust will be running Budding Builders courses in both Camden and their training centre in Bermondsey in the coming months. If you would like more information, please contact Nicola Mason on 07432 728230.
