Coventry company helps construction students gain valuable skills and transform a community on 'amazing' trip to Vietnam

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Coventry company helps construction students gain valuable skills and transform a community on 'amazing' trip to Vietnam

Nottinghamshire construction students gained key skills and transformed a local community when they helped to build new flood defences at a school in Vietnam

Nineteen students from Nottingham College, the majority based on the institution’s Basford campus, took part in a three-day community project at Tân Trung Kindergarten in Mo Cay Nam district, in the very south of the country.

Coventry company helps construction students gain valuable skills and transform a community on 'amazing' trip to Vietnam

The trip to Tân Trung Kindergarten, which floods every year due to torrential downpours and coastal typhoons, was supported by sponsorship funding from leading Midlands company Deeley Construction.

Deeley Construction is currently building a new £15.9 million extra care apartment scheme in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire. The scheme is being delivered in partnership with Preferred Homes.

Martin Gallagher, Managing Director of Deeley Construction said: “This project gave Nottingham College students invaluable hands-on experience in a challenging real-world environment while delivering lasting benefits for the children and families at Tân Trung Kindergarten.

“We are proud to have supported such a meaningful initiative and delighted to see the students embrace the experience with such enthusiasm, teamwork and professionalism.”

Working alongside local master builders, the students focused on improving the school’s drainage and making the site safer for children by raising the ground level of the playground and building new retaining walls with a render to make them more durable.

The group, comprised of plumbing, plastering, bricklaying and joinery students aged 17 to 40, also laid a new concrete layer over the existing playground surface to create a strong, stable and long-lasting base.

The trip gave the diverse group valuable hands-on construction practice in a real-world setting while also developing their teamwork, problem solving and confidence.

In addition to the skills learned, the project made a practical and lasting difference to the kindergarten and local community.

Carpenty and Joinery student Luca Colin-Thome said: “It was an amazing experience. We had to work closely as a team and adapt to working with people from different backgrounds. Being immersed in Vietnamese culture as well as doing the build work made it something none of us will ever forget."

Carl Ara, Assistant Principle for Basford Hall Campus, said: “Enrichment beyond the classroom is something we’re truly passionate about. Opportunities that offer international experiences give students the chance to grow personally, build key employability skills and return with a broader, more confident outlook on the world.

"The volunteering trip to Vietnam encouraged our students to step outside their comfort zones, develop independence and strengthen their teamwork, while gaining a deeper understanding of global issues. Most importantly, they were able to make a meaningful difference through hands-on support in the communities they worked with.

“The trip was a great success. Our students and staff had the most amazing time! We are very grateful to Deeley Construction for the financial support that was provided.”