Desco Welcomes Their First PlanBEE Manchester & London Students
Desco has welcomed their first students on the PlanBEE Manchester and PlanBEE London schemes to their offices.
In Manchester, Josh Kent has joined the team and Rayan Ahmed has joined the team in Croydon on four-month placements, where they will learn practical skills in building services in the workplace. Desco has worked with the PlanBEE scheme for six years and over 20 students have been placed with the company, with six being hired after completing the course. Desco has also offered PlanBEE students the opportunity to continue their studies at university, while employed at the company.
Desco aims to attract more people into the industry through their partnership with PlanBEE, something which companies within the construction industry have found more difficult in recent years. Desco hopes the opportunity to earn and learn, and receive a job offer upon completion of the course appeals to young people, attracting them to a career in the industry.
David Dean, technical director said: “Josh is already getting stuck in to lighting designs and calculations for the Salford Schools project, where he will also be involved in the M&E condition surveys for electrical re-wires and boiler/heating system replacements and will move on to ventilation and heating design elements, with introductions to Building Physics and Revit in the process.”
PlanBEE is a higher-level apprenticeship, which Ryder Architecture inspired after seeing a chance to train the next generation. The scheme was originally set up in the north of England with Gateshead college seven years ago and in 2021, the scheme launched in Manchester with Manchester City Council, Manchester Life, Ryder Architecture and Gateshead College partnering together. PlanBEE has now launched in London alongside the London School of Architecture.
It allows students to work in the industry, gaining practical experience with different companies in a variety of roles, alongside traditional classroom study. Students will study a Higher Apprenticeship programme in Design, Construction and Management, underpinned by HNC/D, and receive a salary while studying.
Students will spend four months at each partner company during the two-year apprenticeship, spending four days in the workplace, and one day in the classroom each week. They will experience a range of roles in building services and the construction industry, allowing them to have a career in the area best suited to them and once completed, the partner companies can offer jobs to the students they have hosted.
New students start each September, and anyone over 18-years-old is welcome to apply if they have a passion for design, construction, and leadership.
PlanBEE is supported by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
Josh is already getting stuck in to lighting designs and calculations for the Salford Schools project, where he will also be involved in the M&E condition surveys for electrical re-wires and boiler/heating system replacements and will move on to ventilation and heating design elements, with introductions to Building Physics and Revit in the process