Big York-based employer in donation to city college

A MAJOR developer has cemented its relationship with a city college with a donation of bricks to support the training and assessment of the next generation of construction professionals.

The donation to York College from York-based Persimmon will provide students with the necessary materials to gain valuable hands-on experience as part of their training.

The bricks, enough to build a large three-bedroom house, will be put to use helping students and apprentices develop the skills they need to begin a successful career in construction as the industry seeks to attract the next generation to deliver much-needed new housing.

Charlie Hall, the college's apprenticeship training assessor for brickwork, said: "York College would like to thank Persimmon Yorkshire for their generous donation of over 9,000 brand new bricks for the college.

"Any materials such as this for the construction department is very gratefully received and highlights the strength of the partnership both York College and Persimmon Homes have come to establish over the years.

"Having the extra bricks will therefore allow the college to provide apprentices with more materials enabling larger and more challenging models to be built in the workshop."

Scott Waters, managing director at Persimmon Yorkshire, said: "At Persimmon, we’re proud of our record of developing and inspiring the next generation of construction workers.

"We’re delighted to support York College by providing students with the materials they need to gain practical experience in one of the many fulfilling and exciting careers construction has to offer."

York College staff and apprentices meeting with Persimmon after the bricks donation (Image: Persimmon)

The college takes in students from across the region and Persimmon has 29 regional offices, with their headquarters in Fulford in York. They directly employs about 5,000 people and, in total, supports about 76,000 jobs in the construction sector.