Students at New College Lanarkshire (NCL) have completed a unique work experience placement, after Covid-19 restrictions stopped their usual work plans from going ahead.
Three students on the college’s HNC Bioscience course - Mateusz Materlik, from Motherwell, Nathan Rodger of Coatbridge and Arial Gacita, who lives in Glasgow, - have just completed a virtual placement with Sweco, Europe’s leading engineering and architecture consultancy.
NCL is working in partnership with North Lanarkshire Council to provide students with outdoor teaching and learning opportunities, including work experience placements via community benefit contracts for the Ravenscraig Park Community project.
Sweco is contracted by North Lanarkshire Council to carry out the environmental impact assessment and consenting requirements for the Ravenscraig access infrastructure south development, and this includes providing community benefit commitments.
Prior to lockdown last March, office-based placements were set up between Sweco and the college. However, these were put on hold indefinitely when Covid-19 restrictions were imposed.
The students, who started their six week virtual placement just before Christmas 2020, have learned the important role that Environmental Impact Assessment plays in developments like Ravenscraig and what is involved in carrying them out.
Nathan said: “I’ve really enjoyed the placement – the work we’ve done has been no different to what it would be during normal times, apart from site visits which have been replaced with videos and webcam footage.
“It’s really made me think about the responsibility we have to ensure what we build isn’t damaging to our environment.”
Arial added: “The overall experience was great – my favourite part was the ecology sessions, as it was really interesting to learn about all the surveys Sweco do in the field to find all the potential adverse effects of a project on the environment, and how they work out solutions to lessen the impact.
“It has really helped me broaden my perspective, and I’d like to go on to study Zoology at University next year.”
