The Rhyl Coastal Defence scheme has recently supported nine young people in Denbighshire to start their work experience journey.
The work experience was arranged between Denbighshire County Council’s Llwybrau project and Balfour Beatty, the contractor undertaking the works for the Rhyl and Prestatyn Coastal Defence schemes.
The young people, from Rhyl College and Christ the Word school, were given the opportunity to gain invaluable experience working on a transformative civil engineering project on their doorstep.
They shadowed members of Balfour Beatty’s team, both in and out of the office, as they undertook various tasks associated with the coastal defence scheme and learnt about the work and jobs involved in building a muti-million pound coastal defence scheme.
The Llwybrau project supports young people to reduce their risk of disengagement from education and provides support to re-engage in education or to move into employment or training at the end of year 11.
The nine students were able to go out on site with Balfour Beatty’s engineers, who showed them what a typical day working on the scheme looks like, and also how the sea defence is being built to protect their hometown from flooding.
They also had the opportunity to engage with Balfour Beatty’s apprentices and work placement students and sit with their planning, design, and commercial team, who taught them about the various roles involved in building the sea defence.
Balfour Beatty worked with the group over a 4-week period, which concluded with the young people getting to take part in mock interviews to help prepare them for future job prospects.
Leland, one of the young people on the scheme, said of the experience:
“I think the positives about Balfour Beatty are that what they are doing is amazing and will help Rhyl out in the long run. The staff are also really nice and the stuff behind how machines work and what the actual plan is for the sea defences is really interesting.”
Leon, who also took part in the work experience, added:
“I liked how nice the people were and how they treat you with respect. I really enjoyed going out on site to see how things get done and why they do it.”
Chris Hull, Project Manager at Balfour Beatty said:
“We were delighted to welcome students to Balfour Beatty through the Llwybrau project and give them a behind the scenes look into the work we’re undertaking as part of the Rhyl Coastal Defence scheme.
“We hope that we’ve inspired them to consider a career in the construction and infrastructure sector, demonstrating the wide range of roles and skills that are needed to deliver a complex scheme such as this. We look forward to welcoming further young people in the future.”
Geraint Davies, Denbighshire County Council’s Head of Education Services, said:
“I am delighted that these young people have had the opportunity to take part in this very immersive work experience with Balfour Beatty.
This has been a fantastic opportunity for the group to develop real-life experience of what it’s like to work within the civil engineering industry while also gaining insight into a major local construction project.
I would like to thank the Llwybrau project for working with these young people to help them re-engage with their education and develop enthusiasm for work after they finish their studies.
I would also like to thank Balfour Beatty for working with Llwybrau to be able to provide this group with such a comprehensive experience, where they were able to take part in a wide variety of tasks linked to civil engineering projects. I have no doubt that the skills and experience these young people have gained through this scheme will support them in their future employment.”
