Firm welcomes students for business close up

A STEEL manufacturer has hosted student visits to inspire future careers in construction. Robinsons Group in Lockerbie welcomed 38 senior business management pupils from Lockerbie Academy last week as part of a new partnership aimed at inspiring the next generation of construction professionals. The visit gave pupils a real insight into the industry through tours of the manufacturing yard, hands-on workshops, and practical learning activities. Students got involved in kit building with Kinetix materials, health and safety risk assessments, and visual fault detection exercises, while also learning how projects progress from the very first plans through to completion. They also heard from the company’s operations supervisor, watched drone footage of recent projects, took part in health and safety briefings, and tried out practical tasks that reflected real-world industry challenges. Commenting on the experience, pupil Leon Osborne-Smith said: “The visit to Robinsons was really eye-opening. I didn’t realise how much goes into building these structures – from the first designs to the finished product. “The hands-on activities were great, especially the fault detection task. It’s definitely made me think more seriously about careers in construction.” Over the past year, Robinsons Group has worked closely with the Dumfries and Galloway Developing the Young Workforce Group to highlight career opportunities for young people across the region. Managing director Ryan Brown said: “We’re really excited about this partnership with Lockerbie Academy and the wider Developing the Young Workforce initiative. “As a family business that started 20 years ago, we know how important it is to invest in the next generation. “These visits give us the chance to share our passion for construction and manufacturing while showing young people the fantastic career opportunities available right here in their local community. “The enthusiasm and curiosity from the students was brilliant to see.” Looking ahead, more visits are already being planned to explore Robinsons’ CWP concrete yard, finance and sales and site operations.