PUPILS at Mearns Primary in Newton Mearns have taken part in Cala Homes’ ‘Land to Life’ project – a schools programme aimed at children aged 7-11.
The initiative forms part of the housebuilder’s Community Pledge, which is designed to bring benefits to the communities in which Cala builds.
Cala Homes (West) land manager Gillian Hessett and engineering manager Steven Allan visited Mearns Primary to speak to a primary six class to help build awareness of how new homes are developed and the important role homebuilders play in creating sustainable new communities.
They spoke about the homebuilding industry and the diverse roles within the sector as well as the creation of the Maidenhill community. Children got to see before and after images of Maidenhill as well as the masterplan for the site.
The pupils took part in a presentation and class discussion with Steven and Gillian before completing activities around different roles within the industry and job descriptions.
The Land to Life programme supports a drive to cultivate early talent and help transform perceptions of roles within the housebuilding sector. It has been designed by Cala in partnership with a specialist education consultant, with participating schools receiving a suite of teachers’ notes and detailed lesson plans along with presentations, worksheets and animated videos.
Gillian Hessett said, “It was brilliant to be able to visit Mearns Primary School and speak to the primary six class about Cala and the homebuilding sector as a whole. The pupils who were involved, were thoroughly engaged with the full lesson, asking inquisitive questions about different roles and the different types of career paths available.”
Steven Allan added, “The visit shows that there is a real opportunity to harness the curiosity of young people and highlight how this sector can open doors for everyone and allows us to ensure they have all the information they need to later evaluate if this is the industry for them.”
Rod Pearson, head of people at Cala, said, “Land to Life helps to support our ambitions around early talent and diversity, opening young minds to the fact that our industry is about much more than bricks and mortar. This is an exciting and dynamic industry to be part of, with such varied career opportunities, but we all know it needs to be more diverse. We believe changing perceptions at a grassroots level is one of the ways we can improve this in the long-term.”
