Media Room
Keeping the press and public up to speed with all the latest developments on this exciting project is vitally important. The media room is designed to help keep you informed and spread the news.
Here you will find all the latest information about initiatives, events and exhibitions at the Nu Build site.
For further media enquiries contact Joanne Hine at Plinkfizz on 01782 284616 or email jo@plinkfizz.co.uk.
Useful links
RENEW - www.renewnorthstaffs.gov.uk
Stoke-on-Trent College – www.stokecoll.ac.uk
Advantage West Midlands - www.advantagewm.co.uk
WMCCE - www.wmcce.org
BRE – www.bre.co.uk
Streif UK – www.streif.co.uk
Kier Group – www.kier.co.uk
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Press Releases
18 November 2010
Kids make constructive career move
School students throughout Stoke-on-Trent made a constructive career move on Wednesday (Nov 17) when they visited Nu Build houses at Stoke-on-Trent College to find out about careers in construction and building and engineering services.
With skills shortages and unemployment such huge issues at the moment, the students eagerly looked round these innovative homes where they saw for themselves a new form of housing that’s environmentally sound and quickly assembled.
Called Nu Build, the homes were manufactured in Germany then shipped over to the UK where they were constructed at the college within just two weeks, thus bringing together twin needs of greener construction and skilling-up the local workforce.
Said one keen school student Stephen Edwards, 15, of Newcastle under Lyme science college NCHS: “I’d love to work in construction. It was great to see inside the Nu Build houses and also see all the students training in construction.” Though like most men his age Stephen enjoys computer games, he’s also keen to get outside. “I like to be hands on instead of just sitting around. It’s been great seeing all that the college has to offer and I hope to come here when I finish school,” he added.
It’s an attitude much cheered by the college’s Director of Technology, Damian Hopkins who said: “We don’t just run courses at Stoke-on-Trent College, we try to get our students into apprenticeships so that when they leave us they have a career.
“That’s why we opened our doors to all the local schools. To show students there’s an exciting career in construction and building and engineering services for a whole range of abilities. The Nu Build houses may look very ordinary but there’s a lot going on underneath the surface with eco-friendly heating systems, lighting and maintenance.”
Nu Build was funded and supported by Stoke-on-Trent City Council and RENEW which together with many other local and national partners developed the programme to showcase modern methods of construction to meet the Government’s objective to make all new homes carbon neutral by 2016.
Councillor Brian Ward, Stoke-on-Trent City Council cabinet member for housing, planning and transportation, said: “It was wonderful to see today’s school students taking such a keen interest in the Nu Build houses. This is the next generation helping to build their own future which will be a much greener, more environmentally friendly one.
“I do hope some of the students who visited the Nu Build houses return to study at the college when they finish their school studies.”
As well as looking round the houses and the John Seddon Building to observe how future construction engineers are trained, the students took part in an interactive quiz with all the winners going into a draw for which the prize was a voucher for the Potteries Centre.
Stoke-on-Trent College is the only college in the country to offer assembled units on site for training purposes. The site in Burslem is the ideal location as Stoke-on-Trent College is a Centre of Vocational Excellence for construction training.
Schools which visited the Nu Build houses were: Birches Head High School, Thistley Hough High School, Penkhull, Haywood High School, Burslem and Newcastle Community High School.
ENDS.
Note to editors.
Photographs are available of school students looking round the Nu Build houses.
For more information please visit the NuBuild website: http://www.nu-build.org.uk/
If you would like to know more, please contact Laura Marcus at Plinkfizz on 01782-284616 laura@plinkfizz.com or Joanne Hine jo@plinkfizz.com
11 November 2010
Next generation meets the "Nu" generation
(Photo call at 10am: school students visiting Nu Build house)
With skills shortages and unemployment such huge issues at the moment, Stoke-on-Trent College is throwing open its doors on Wednesday (November 17th) to show school students an innovative form of new housing that’s environmentally sound and very quickly assembled.
In the hope that it might encourage them to consider careers in construction, students will be invited to take part in an interactive session at the college’s special training unit for new houses. Called Nu Build, the homes were manufactured in Germany then shipped over to the UK where they were constructed at the college within just two weeks. Thus bringing together the twin needs of greener construction and skilling-up the local workforce.
The project is led by Stoke-on-Trent City Council and RENEW which together with many other local and national partners developed the programme to showcase modern methods of construction to meet the Government’s objective to make all new homes carbon neutral by 2016.
Students will be able to take part in an interactive session on the college’s mobile training unit, visit the showcase and training Nu Build houses and learn all about renewable technologies and changes in construction techniques.
" The event will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase the new environmental technologies that will be shaping the future of the construction industry,” said Damian Hopkins, the college’s Director of Technology.
“Students will have the opportunity to explore two purpose built houses that embrace energy saving construction techniques as well as a guided tour around the exciting John Seddon building to observe how future construction engineers are trained. Activities linked to construction trades and a competition are all part of the event," he added.
Stoke-on-Trent College is the only college in the country to offer these assembled units on site for training purposes. And the site in Burslem is the ideal location as Stoke-on-Trent College is a Centre of Vocational Excellence for construction training.
Courses for 16 to 18-year-olds at Stoke-on-Trent College address the changing world and offer them qualifications in environmental technology as well as traditional construction courses, including joinery, brickwork, painting and decorating, plumbing and gas fitting.
Schools already booked for the visit are: Birches Head High School, Thistley Hough High School, Penkhull, Haywood High School, Burslem and Newcastle Community High School.
ENDS.
Note to editors.
Photographs will be available after the event.
For more information please visit the NuBuild website: http://www.nu-build.org.uk/
If you would like to know more, please contact Laura Marcus at Plinkfizz on 01782-284616 laura@plinkfizz.com or Joanne Hine jo@plinkfizz.com
04 November 2010
Firm Foundations for the “Nu” Generation
With affordable housing such a hot issue right now and environmentally sound, sustainable living equally as high up the agenda, a new form of innovative housing - called Nu Build – is taking great shape at Stoke-on-Trent College in Burslem. On Wednesday October 27th in the first of four events to highlight the progress being made by Nu Build, visitors got the chance to share experience and knowledge and maximise opportunities in the new era of low carbon construction.
In collaboration with RENEW North Staffordshire, this event illustrated that introducing modern methods of construction is vital to ensure that councils meet the objective to make new homes carbon neutral by 2016.
Negotiations with a leading offsite manufacturer led to the building of two homes at Stoke-on-Trent College – a centre of vocational excellence for construction training. The homes were manufactured in Germany and shipped over to the UK where they were constructed on site within just two weeks.
The Nu Build scheme at Stoke-on-Trent College is a unique venture – the only place in the UK that has assembled units on site for training purposes.
Commenting about the event Councillor Brian Ward, Stoke-on-Trent City Council cabinet member for housing, planning and transportation said: “It was a great opportunity to bring together professionals in the field of low carbon construction and renewable energy to discuss ways to create sustainable homes for the future.
“The event also gave people the chance to visit the two Nu Build properties, which are located on the college grounds and see what a furnished and unfurnished home would look like.”
So crucial is the need to find a quick, reasonably-priced, low-carbon form of construction that this event was booked out. However, there will be another chance to see these new houses on Wednesday November 17th at the same venue when school visits to the site will be taking place. At this event, students from local schools can take part in an interactive session on Stoke-on-Trent College’s mobile training unit, visit the Nu Build houses and find out more about the skills needed to develop this form of fast but highly-effective house construction.
Included in Wednesday’s event were speakers from the West Midlands Centre for Construction Excellence (WMCCE) and Stoke-on-Trent’s regeneration organisation RENEW North Staffordshire who shared their expertise and knowledge on maximising business opportunities in the new era of low carbon construction.
There was also advice from Stoke-on-Trent College on training courses and qualifications to support modern methods of construction and ongoing changes to the code for sustainable homes.
There will be two similar events in February and April next year.
ENDS.
For more information please contact Laura Marcus on 01782-284616 laura@plinkfizz.com or Joanne Hine on Jo@plinkfizz.com
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