Stephen Faller and Emily Grounds from the Cala East team went along to Aberdour Primary School to speak to the primary 5, 6 and 7s to help build grassroots awareness of how new homes are developed and the important role that housebuilders play in creating sustainable new communities.
Stephen and Emily spoke to each class about the homebuilding industry, including key topics such as land planning, sales and marketing of homes, sustainability and the variety of diverse roles within the sector.
The pupils took part in an interactive presentation and class discussion with Stephen and Emily, before completing activities including presentations and worksheets and involving animated videos. The pupils also had plenty of questions for them, before they headed back to the nearby Inchcolm Green development.
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 in partnership with a specialist education consultant, with participating schools receiving a comprehensive suite of teachers’ notes and detailed lesson plans along with interactive presentations, worksheets and animated videos focusing on six key topics.
The lessons cover design and technology, sustainability, planning and marketing - highlighting the various job roles available within the industry.
The programme aims to be as inclusive as possible with alternative activities available for children with additional educational needs. It is expected to be rolled out to hundreds of children in Scotland and England over the next two years.
Stephen Faller, Land Manager at Cala Homes (East) said: “It was brilliant to be able to visit Aberdour Primary School and speak to the children 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 my role and the different types of career paths available.
“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.”
Leanne Sweaton, Acting Principle Teacher at Aberdour Primary School, said: “We are delighted to be involved with Cala Homes’ Land to Life project. The children really enjoyed learning about the initiative and the positive impact it will bring to the area.
“One of our aims at Aberdour Primary School is for children to understand how they can contribute to their wider community. Therefore, inviting Cala Homes into the school enabled the children to achieve this.”
Rod Pearson, Head of People at Cala, said: “Land to Life will help 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.
“Our hope is this inspires young people to think about our industry in a more meaningful way than ever before and view it as a brilliant career path.”
Schools near to Cala Homes developments can register their interest in Land to Life by getting in touch here. More information on our Community Pledge can also be access here.
