NBS builds links with Newcastle College

The company, which provides technical information to construction industry professionals, has awarded a bursary to Newcastle College to support its Access to Further Education ‘Young People’s Learning’ programme, aimed at improving the aspirations of its students.

As part of a rolling programme of involvement, it invited 20 students into its headquarters at The Old Post Office, St Nicholas Street, to get a sense of the varied roles within the business.

Along with a tour of the recently renovated building, the students met staff in customer service, HR, technical authors, software developers and the team which produces 3D models of construction manufacturer products.

Catherine Orridge, Head of Access to Further Education at Newcastle College said: “The main driver behind the Young People’s Learning programme is to improve the aspirations of these students. They’ve left school, possibly with few or no qualifications and this is the next step to get them ready for further education.

Shefat Uddin Begum a student at Newcastle College said: “The visit was a totally new experience for me; I’ve never visited such a professional environment before. It gave me a lot more information about how a business like NBS works. The staff were really friendly and informative. The visit it helped me understand that I can achieve and go into similar roles if I continue to work hard.”

Chief Executive Richard Waterhouse said the company decided to build links with Newcastle College after its students decorated the NBS-sponsored Wor Geordie sculpture, which formed part of last year’s Great North Snowdogs art trail.

“It opened our eyes to the level of skill and creativity that exists right here on our doorstep,” he said, “and as an employer it makes absolute sense to be creating ties with the next generation.

“Our business offers a very wide variety of roles, some of which students might not necessarily be aware of, so open days like this are a great way of opening their eyes to the opportunities available on their doorstep.”   

NBS’ £500 bursary has also enabled 80 students from the college to visit Sunderland’s National Glass Centre and Winter Gardens, 40 students to visit a Sikh temple and funded 10 students on a workplace visit.

The bursary, which is also centred on the progression of the students, will go towards vocational starter packs for those who progress onto level 2 of the course.

And, in the summer, NBS will host a celebration event for students and their guests to mark key milestones towards their successfully gaining qualifications and employment.

For further information about NBS visit www.thenbs.com.

For more information, please contact NBS PR Executive Jennifer Scullion on 0191 244 5523 or email Jennifer.Scullion@theNBS.com.

Photo caption, Top left:  Mohammad Reza Bahrami, right Luke Thoburn (college tutor) bottom left: Simran Kaur, Lindi Teate (director of corporate services NBS) and Samira Berihu.

About NBS

NBS, specialist provider of technical information for construction industry professionals, offers essential, innovative products and services, highly valued by those working in architecture, construction, design and engineering.

The premier source of construction-related information, NBS has produced the recognised national standard specification system for the UK for more than 40 years. It provides solutions for a broad range of new build, refurbishment, retrofit, landscaping and domestic projects for construction professionals. Delivered within a powerful software package, NBS’s specification products continue to develop, leading an evolution of the specification and procurement process for buildings in the UK and overseas. NBS also provides solutions for contract administration and project information management.

NBS Create is a ground-breaking new specification tool that ensures all documentation works together intelligently throughout the entire project timeline, from concept stage to completion and beyond, to save time and money. More than 5,000 offices across the UK subscribe to NBS products, including 96 of the top 100 AJ practices.

The award winning NBS National BIM Library is also the primary source of free-to-use Building Information Modelling (BIM) content in the UK. It contains thousands of generic and proprietary BIM objects authored to the trusted NBS standard, all of which are data rich and are integrated with the world leading NBS specification software.

 

NBS is part of RIBA Enterprises Ltd, the knowledge management company of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). RIBA Enterprises employs 250 staff and has offices in London, Newcastle upon Tyne and Newark.

www.theNBS.com