“Doing this course has made me re-think what I want to do in the future,” said Jaswinder Sandhu, who signed up for the sector-based work academy programme in groundworks.
Jaswinder added: “I’m renovating my house so initially looked for a course that would give me an overview of the construction process, but it’s led to a complete career change as I know that this is the industry I want to work in in the future.
“I’m learning all about bricklaying, cementing, pipe work, draining and how they all work together, as well as foundations and health and safety which I’d never thought about before.
“At the start of each session the tutor demonstrates what we need to do and the equipment we need to use and gives us feedback about how we have performed and how we could improve the next time.
“The course being free and having a guaranteed interview at the end is a fantastic opportunity and it’s great that the college is able to offer this – because of my business background I feel prepared for the interview but I’m confident now that I’ll be able to answer questions that I wouldn’t have been able to a few weeks ago.
“Being a woman, I didn’t think that I’d be able to do a course like this but the college has shown me that I am as capable as everyone else and that I shouldn’t let age or gender be a barrier.
“Working outside has had a real positive impact on me and the idea of being part of building something and leaving a legacy that I was part of is really motivating, and I’m looking forward to seeing what opportunities there are out there.”
