Shepherd partners with Reach Your Goal at Oulder Hill School

Date published: 30/11/2006

Shepherd Construction has partnered with RYG-interact to deliver a unique filming project at the company’s Oulder Hill Community School site in Rochdale. Members of Shepherd’s site team, led by Project Manager, Jason Dimelow, have worked alongside a group of Year 11 students from Oulder Hill Community School in Rochdale to develop and deliver a construction health and safety film.

RYG-interact is an education based product that aims to engage young people through project work with community partners. Their projects have a specific set of aims and objectives, evaluation through written work, online reporting, video recording and a target outcome.

Following an initial safety induction session at the school, which included a site induction and general awareness presentation on health and safety across construction sites, the students will visit the site to make their film, focussing on potential hazards which could arise. They will interview members of the site team on the importance of health and safety and find out about the current construction programme for their school.

Commenting on the filming project, Jason said: "We are working on a live refurbishment and new build project with the school, so health and safety is more important than ever on this scheme. I hope that this film project will raise awareness of the potential dangers of a construction site. The students who visit the site to carry out the filming will certainly have a new insight into what happens on a live site, as well as the opportunities which could exist for them with their future careers."

Oulder Hill is one of six schools under construction by Shepherd in Rochdale as part of its £58m Rochdale Grouped Schools PFI project, which will provide state-of-the-art educational facilities for over 3000 pupils. As well as its role as main contractor, Shepherd also forms part of the PFI Consortium, Axiom Education. Axiom has worked closely with Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council to develop the project and will finance, design, construct and operate the schools over a concession of 25-years post-construction. ABN AMRO will provide financing for the project in addition to its role as the majority equity sponsor. Facilities management will be undertaken by OPERON.