Astrea Academy – Work experience and site visits

Work Experience

Kier have worked closely with Sheffield City Council’s project support development team and local Job Centre plus offices to support unemployed young people gain valuable experience to help them achieve employment in the construction industry. The young people complete a BTEC in construction, gaining a CSCS card and following on with a 2 week work experience placement.

The site have since offered two work placements. The first placement, Nathan, fitted in really well with the team and gave an excellent first impression by arriving early for his induction. Steve Fry, Senior Site Manager, was so impressed with Nathan’s attitude, that he had offered him a job and he started on site on the 22nd January 2018 via Hays.

The second placement was Mohammed, a student from Sheffield Hallam University; he spent a week with our site commercial team working from 9am until 4pm, before going to work at his usual job from 6pm until 12am. His commitment was incredibly impressive and we hope to offer Mohammed another placement later this year.

Graduate / student site visits

The first visit took place on 29th November 2017 and was attended by 21 first year building surveying students from Sheffield Hallam University, accompanied by their tutors. The second visit took place on 18th December 2017 and was a joint visit for both Kier graduates and Sheffield City Council graduates.

The students and graduates were all provided with relevant information about the project and were also given specific information on the new build and renovation project, highlighting structural challenges that the team have encountered since taking possession of the building. Feedback from both sessions was excellent, well done to all involved.