Skilling up the next generation in construction

A Community Grant of £5,000 will enable SATRO to continue teaching practical construction skills to pupils at North East Surrey Short Stay School (NESSSS), a pupil referral unit in Hersham.

SATRO has been delivering its Mobile Construction programme to NESSSS students for more than six years. The pupils, who have been temporarily or permanently excluded from mainstream secondary schools, are given the opportunity to learn practical construction skills from SATRO’s team of experienced construction tutors.

The 2-hour long weekly sessions cover a wide range of introductory units including carpentry, joinery, plumbing, electrical installation, and bricklaying. The students have access to industry standard tools and equipment and can work towards their BTEC Level 1 qualification which is often vital for entry to further education or the workplace.

One of the course tutors, Ron, said: “The highlight of my week is walking into NESSSS. I first began working at NESSSS halfway through the previous academic year. Initially the students were an extremely tough crowd with very little engagement and zero eye contact. Slowly but surely my persistence began to ignite a spark of interest. The advantage that I have as a SATRO tutor rather than a “regular teacher” is that I can roll my sleeves up and work together with the learners. My goodness did my perseverance pay off!”

“The change in these young people is profound. Their newly acquired skills and talent for the varied practical projects, particularly in carpentry and joinery, is only superseded by their enthusiasm. This year’s group of both male and female students are outperforming all of my other classes!”

— Ron, Tutor