Tesni Richards is guided by trainer Gwyn Davies and watched by fellow students Ifan Davies and Sion McKee
Three sixth form students took their first steps on the path to a career in civil engineering thanks to work placements provided by family firm Jones Bros.
The A-level students, from Ysgol Brynhyfryd in Ruthin, who all hope to study civil engineering at university, enjoyed a week-long taster of work within Jones Bros, one of the UK’s leading contractors.
Tesni Richards, Sion McKee and Ifan Davies learned about the wide range of opportunities available within civil engineering and about the scope of projects undertaken by Jones Bros across the UK including renewables and energy, highways, waste remediation and coastal and marine infrastructure.
Tesni, the first young woman to undertake work experience at Jones Bros, who is planning a career in civil engineering, spent time with commercial manager Ruth James and quantity surveyor Helen Morgan, where she learned more about the increasing opportunities for women within the profession.
Niamh Whitehead, HR manager at Ruthin-based Jones Bros, said: “We are really pleased to be able to provide work experience to students from our local area.
“The young people we have are extremely passionate and it is terrific to see a growing interest from young women like Tesni who are keen to pursue a career in civil engineering.
“We aim to provide a variety of activities during the week to ensure that our students experience the full breadth of the opportunities available, not only with civil engineering generally but also within Jones Bros, a growing company.”
Jones Bros is committed to providing work placements for students at schools, colleges and universities. It recently welcomed two civil engineering undergraduate students from Cardiff University who are currently undertaking a ten-week placement.
Ifan Hafal and Rhys Jones are gaining experience on an access road scheme in Buckinghamshire as well as the construction of a landfill site at Glastonbury in Somerset.
Experts within business and universities believe that every student should have the opportunity to do an internship as part of their degree, whilst a recent survey of 100 recruiters emphasised the increasing value and importance of work experience and internships.
Founded in the 1950s and employing approximately 300 people, Jones Bros works on contracts in various sectors including the construction of waste management facilities, highways, flood and marine defence and renewable energy projects around the UK.
