TWO teenagers have gained vital experience on multi-million-pound Scottish wind farm projects thanks to a Jones Bros Civil Engineering initiative.
As part of the firm’s commitment to nurturing the future of the industry, Charlie Chambers and Oliver Evans were able to head out on site over the summer – several weeks before the official start of their studies.
Hamilton local Charlie spent a month at Sanquhar II, a 44-turbine scheme that will be the fourth largest wind farm in the UK, while Oliver, who hails from Holywell in Flintshire, North Wales, headed to 20-turbine Windy Standard III.
It was a fantastic learning curve for Charlie, who grew up around 15 minutes from Bellshill, where Jones Bros has a Scottish office.
The 18-year-old said, “It’s a great project to be a part of. You never know when you are going to need renewable energy in the future, so it was good to get out on site.
“I was working closely with the plant drivers, diggers and dumpers, helping survey the land and giving them levels.
“We were also working with the cabling team, advising them on where to lay the cables, what watercourses might be in the way, and working out solutions, either temporary or permanent.”
Oliver was equally delighted with the time spent in Dumfries and Galloway at Windy Standard III. He said, “It’s a really good team, which has helped me settle in from day one.
“It was fantastic to get stuck straight in to work on site, whether that was finding out the distance from compound to turbines via AutoCAD, uploading designs to GPS, or surveying along the roads to get an idea of the topography.”
Tony Murphy, head of business management support at Jones Bros, was only too happy to help Charlie and Oliver gain early on-site experience. The duo are two of eight youngsters recently welcomed onto the company’s 2025 programme at Coleg Cambria, which partners with neighbours Wrexham University to run the BEng (Hons) in civil engineering.
He said, “When the lads asked if they could start ahead of September, we did whatever we could to facilitate that.
“The benefit of them heading to site over the summer, and on significant wind farm schemes, is huge and all credit must go to them both for showcasing a desire to be part of the Jones Bros team.”
Charlie, who attended Holy Cross High School in Hamilton, is already looking forward to the future, and being one of those to inspire the next generation of apprentices. He continued, “It’s been brilliant being part of a great team up there. It will be great to help those who join the scheme next year and pass on any tips and guidance I’ve picked up.”
