No cabin fever here
The Mary Hare Foundation has secured support from the John Lewis Partnership Community Investment Fund. The award of £16,050 will be used for a new cabin for the vocational department for students studying subjects such as Carpentry, Plumbing, Land Based Studies and Bricklaying. Over the past few years, the vocational department has been offering a wider range of vocational subjects which students can choose to study alongside their GCSEs and A Levels. The new cabin will provide an excellent and much needed space for the growing number of these vocational subjects.
We see this cabin as being an energetic hub for construction. A safe place where students can try all elements of construction from tiling to hanging doors, from painting and decorating to learning how to install kitchens. It will provide a realistic working environment to encourage and inspire a new generation of tradespeople.
The Partnership Community Investment Fund was set up for projects that support local communities impacted by John Lewis store closures announced in 2019, which included John Lewis, Newbury. The fund is designed to benefit projects in a number of ways including supporting young people where there is evidence of barriers to education, employment or training.
The vocational department enables students to gain qualifications that then lead directly into employment in sectors such as construction, forestry, agriculture and hospitality. Without a bespoke learning space such as a vocational cabin, the students would have fewer opportunities to learn the vital practical skills required for their chosen career path.
James House, Head of Faculty, Technical Services and Multi-Trades at the school said, ‘We are very grateful to the John Lewis partnership, who have donated so generously, and made this project happen. This cabin will really open up the curriculum so that we are able to deliver the practical skills students will need when they pursue a career in the construction industry.’
