More than 20 students from Limerick Institute of Technology have embarked on a trail-blazing programme that should greatly help the construction industry. The programme, the first of its kind in Ireland, was devised by Limerick IT and the Construction Industry Federation as a potential solution to a shortage of supervisory staff. In the past, many young people with good Leaving Certificates opted for jobs on building sites and worked their way up. Nowadays the popularity of third-level study means that the supply of supervisory staff is drying up.

"The advent of third-level education for the great majority of our youth, along with sub-contracting which takes the more business-oriented people, are identified as major contributors to this decline," commented CIF member John McInerney, of builders PJ Hegarty and Sons. Following much discussion within the CIF, it became apparent that training third-level students to be able to supervise would be one of the best routes to guaranteeing a supply of site supervisors.

The students on the innovative programme, who finished the first year of their certificate in construction studies programme in June, spent two days at Easter and the entire summer on construction sites in the Shannon region. Here they have been gaining practical experience of site work.

The participants, who included three girls, were paid the going rate for their work on site. The focus for the summer was carpentry, and the students received additional classes in this at LIT beforehand. This was over and above the normal curriculum for their NCEA construction studies work, and was undertaken only by the 20.

In the everyday life of a building site, other skills were learned as well, of course. Kevin Kennedy, who worked on the construction of the Irish Aviation Authority's new air traffic control centre at Shannon, did some surveying along with carpentry.

"I found the placement a good experience," Kennedy told Education & Living. "You learn more with practical hands-on experience. It's like riding a bike - there's a difference between watching and doing." During the second year of the certificate, Kevin and his colleagues will receive extra training, in brickand block-laying.

After their completion of the certificate next June, the programme students will spend more than a full year on site placement, then return to study for one academic year to turn their certificates into diplomas in construction studies. The programme of work for their post-certificate placement includes brick-laying and block-laying, carpentry, plumbing, plastering and more. They will also learn useful skills such as the recognition of good quality workmanship.

There were about 70 students in first year. The 50 students who did not opt for the programme will be able to achieve a diploma in construction studies in the usual three years, so what will the volunteers gain for their extra year of student placement? For starters, it should open up a fast-track route in site management.

"The focus is on what these people are going to do for the contractors when they qualify," says George Byrnes, the leader for both the certificate and diploma in construction studies. "They will be craft supervising technicians."