Morgan Sindall Empowers Students from Wigan & Leigh College with a Carbon Workshop in Partnership with University of Salford

In collaboration with the University of Salford, Morgan Sindall has successfully conducted a summer school carbon workshop at the award winning SEE Building for students enrolled at Wigan & Leigh College.

The workshop, attended by 21 first-year students pursuing T Levels and BTECs in built environment subjects, has given them a valuable head start as they prepare to delve into carbon and sustainability related modules in their second year.

The comprehensive workshop featured a lecture delivered by Kane Greenough, Morgan Sindall's supply chain sustainability manager, focusing on the company's proactive approach to addressing climate change through innovative building design and delivery. Greenough provided an overview of Morgan Sindall's cutting-edge carbon modelling tool, Carbonica, which formed the basis for the practical session conducted in the latter half of the day.

The practical challenge engaged students in cost planning a construction project while assessing the carbon and cost impact of various materials. Assisting the students were members of Morgan Sindall's commercial and sustainability team, including Graduate Estimator Danielle Gudojc, Graduate Quantity Surveyor Dan Deakin, Research & Development Analyst Louise Sturman and Trainee Sustainability Manager Malik Miller.

Wigan & Leigh College is a feeder college for the University of Salford, and a partner of its new Greater Manchester Institute of Technology (GMIoT) soon to be constructed under the university’s masterplan via the DfE Framework.

The GMIoT will offer a range of courses, including new Higher Technical Qualifications and apprenticeships, designed to fast track learners into jobs in growth sectors for Greater Manchester.

The summer school workshop has granted students the invaluable opportunity to experience a higher education environment and consider Salford as their next step in their career pathways.

Students selected for work experience

The Morgan Sindall team were so impressed by the calibre of students from Wigan & Leigh College that four were selected as a direct result of the workshop to undertake work experience at Morgan Sindall. Thomas Westhead, Alex West, Lydia Arrowsmith and Logan Green pictured below will undertake their work experience placements over the summer holidays.

Anita Siequien, lecturer at Wigan & Leigh College, expressed her appreciation for the workshop, stating,

The workshop has been really useful for our students to give them grounding in carbon and sustainability which they will be studying in next year's curriculum. The practical activities have encouraged the students to consider sustainability in construction projects and how Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions are calculated - we'll certainly be including some of what we've learned today into our teaching."

Adrian Smith, lecturer at Wigan & Leigh College, highlighted the significance of having Morgan Sindall directly engage with the students, stating,

Having a company like Morgan Sindall speak directly to our students is fantastic, as it provides them with real-world insight into the industry and reinforces what we are teaching them at college. The practical exercise today has been fantastic as it's given the students an insight into the cost implications associated with carbon reduction - this is information our college wouldn’t be able to access without assistance from industry."

Reflecting on the day's activities, Alex, a BTEC Student at Wigan & Leigh College, shared,

Today we've learnt about how the construction industry has an impact on the environment and how we can mitigate it. As someone who learns by doing, I’ve most enjoyed the practical exercise today where we've had a go at cost planning with carbon tools. I'm currently studying a BTEC in civil engineering and hope to become a structural engineer via a degree apprentice route. Today has also been great to meet potential employers and to see what university life is like. I've also been selected for a work experience placement with Morgan Sindall, which is amazing! I can’t wait to start!"

Kane Greenough, Morgan Sindall's supply chain sustainability manager, praised the students from Wigan & Leigh College, stating,

The students from Wigan and Leigh College were highly motivated and eager to learn, which made the workshop a rewarding experience for everyone involved. We’re excited to offer Tom, Alex, Lydia and Logan work experience with Morgan Sindall and help get their future careers off to a great start. Who knows, they may even decide to pursue sustainability focused roles as a result of today!”