Visiting the site of Amazon’s new £150-million fulfilment centre at Melton West Business Park, a group of twelve year 10 engineering students were afforded the opportunity to meet and interact with representatives from different backgrounds within the engineering sector, including a design engineer, the project’s lead planner and its overall project manager.  

Each representative offered an insight into their roles, explaining their routes through education, the courses they studied and the array of opportunities they have been afforded in their careers to date. Students were able to see the impact of these roles for themselves as they viewed the site up-close, witnessing the different skills, contractors and elements at work.

The students were also shown the CAD (Computer Aided Design) drawing of the full project before being given a tour of the site to see the digital designs come to life and watch the groundworks being completed.

Leading the trip was Head of Design Technology, Amy Norris, who said: “It was a very insightful day with lots of opportunities for our students to learn about engineering and careers in various fields. Our students represented the school well. They asked lots of questions and showed appreciation to all the staff who took their time to speak with them. A massive thank you to TSL Construction for having us.”

Among the students on the trip was Laci H who said, “It was interesting to see a complex CAD drawing, showing steel work, electrics and plumbing, and then see the actual building and how it all connected.”

Fellow student, Jenson P, added: “I was surprised that so many different drawings were required before the build could start.”

Currently under construction next to Amazon’s existing delivery station, the new fulfilment centre will occupy an estimated 52,000 sq m of space - with the development estimated to create the potential for up to 2,000 new jobs.

ABOVE: A civil engineer explains how they lay the concrete and how they get a smooth finish. 

ABOVE: Libby, Meredith, Laci and Ruby were among the twelve year 10 engineering students who signed up for the trip. 

ABOVE: The students were given a tour of the construction site and were interested to learn about the variety of jobs and responsibilities involved.