Lovell has opened its South Queensferry development to local young people, recently welcoming 51 pupils from Echline Primary School to the site and supporting work experience opportunities. The education project gives young people a hands-on introduction to construction and the wide range of careers involved in building new homes.
The Crossings is a major mixed-tenure development that will deliver 398 homes, including 100 for social rent in partnership with Sanctuary Scotland, 185 homes for private rent through Sigma Simple Life, 113 private homes for sale by Lovell Homes and 14 commercial units. The development will also support more than 300 local jobs.
The education activity forms part of the ongoing commitment by Lovell to deliver social value in communities where it builds, helping to create opportunities for young people and strengthen pathways into employment. It comes at a time when attracting new talent to the construction sector is increasingly important, with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) estimating that Scotland will need to recruit 26,100 additional construction workers by 2028 to meet future demand.
Tony Rankin, Regional Managing Director at Lovell, said: “Construction offers a huge range of opportunities, but too often young people only know about a few job roles in the industry. Opening up our sites like this is about showing them the bigger picture and helping them understand the many different career routes available.
“With Scotland needing to attract thousands of additional workers to the construction sector over the coming years, it’s vital we support the next generation to see the possibilities and feel confident that there is a place for them in the industry.”
As part of the programme, P7 pupils from Echline Primary School were guided through a series of live demonstrations by Site Manager Kevin Kelly from Lovell, including broadband installation, underground pipework and the various stages involved in completing new homes. The groups also visited a nearly completed home, where they learned about painting and had the chance to try it for themselves.
The tour concluded with a discussion about the wide range of roles involved in delivering new homes, from trades and engineering through to design, planning and project management.
Laura Marshall, P7 teacher at Echline Primary School, said: “This was a fantastic experience for our pupils. Seeing a live site and speaking directly with the team helped them understand how homes are built and how many different roles are involved. It’s important that young people are given opportunities like this to explore career paths they might not have considered and it was very inspiring for the children.”
The visit is part of a wider programme of activity by Lovell that engages local schools and young people in South Queensferry. Lovell teams have interacted with hundreds of pupils from Echline Primary School and Queensferry High School through site visits, workshops and career sessions. Additionally, 15 surveying graduates from Hardies, the employer’s agent on the development, visited to learn more about construction operations and live-site working.
Lovell has also supported work experience opportunities at The Crossings, offering real-world experience and helping participants build confidence for future employment. The experience was delivered in collaboration with Positive Qualities and its Construction Skills Academy, which supports young people in developing essential workplace skills. Through the Academy, participants successfully completed three SQA units ahead of their placement, including the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) Health and Safety certificate.
Lovell site teams worked alongside supply chain partners R&M Contractors and Ramsey Electrical to support placements and provide young people with meaningful experiences across various trades.
Conor Watt, Development Manager at Sanctuary, said: “Creating great places to live is about more than building new homes. It’s also about supporting the communities around them and investing in opportunities for local people to ensure the benefits are shared and long-lasting. We’re proud to work alongside Lovell on initiatives that inspire young people and help them imagine a future career in construction.”
Post work placement surveys highlighted the real value of the live-site experience and showed measurable impact, including increased workplace confidence and improved understanding of the range of opportunities available within construction. Both work experience participants have since progressed to further education, moving on to college courses following their time at the South Queensferry development.
Sean Siala, work experience student, said: “It was great working on-site, especially gaining practical, hands-on knowledge. I really enjoyed the camaraderie. I loved chatting with the electricians and learning from their experience.”
For more information, visit www.lovell.co.uk
