CONSTRUCTION students at a local college will be able to build on their skills thanks to a generous donation.

Staff and students from the construction department at West College Scotland’s Clydebank campus were recently gifted over 6,000 bricks by local house builder Persimmon Homes.

It is hoped that the donation will support the college in allowing students to spend more time on tools whilst on campus to complete skills tests and create models in the classroom.

Craig Moore, Persimmon West Scotland land director, said: “I’m delighted we’re able to donate these much-needed materials and support the fantastic work West College Scotland does to develop the future leaders of the construction industry.

“Persimmon is proud to be one of Scotland’s largest employers of apprentice bricklayers and we’re committed to creating exciting opportunities for everyone in the areas where we operate.”

The department provides the next generation of construction workers with the necessary skills and experience they will need to enter into a growing sector within Scotland.

There are currently 1,829 construction students – from across the West of Scotland – studying across 20 courses at West College Scotland.

Andy Corbett, Curriculum Quality Leader for Construction at West College Scotland, said: “We are delighted to be working with Persimmon Homes and these materials are greatly welcomed.

“We have already taken our final year apprentice brick layers through their skills tests using these materials.

“The opportunity for us to be working with key players from our industry is highly beneficial for both parties.”

Persimmon Homes make their own bricks at its state-of-the-art factory in Doncaster which is able to produce over 72 million bricks per year.

This is enough to stretch from Clydebank to Canada and back again.