Building firm is laying foundations for the future

Val Quinan of Tyne Coast College and Adam Johnson, electrical project engineer at Castle Building Services, with some of the electrical students.

Hebburn-based Castle Building Services has been giving placement opportunities to 14 students at Tyne Coast College – which includes South Tyneside College – who are studying on the level 3 electrical course.

Each student got 21 hours of work experience, working alongside senior members of the Castle team on live projects.

The thriving company has a headcount of over 100 staff at it’s offices in Hebburn, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Teesside and last year recorded a turnover of £30m – offering a range of engineering and contracting services covering all aspects of building, mechanical, public health, renewable and electrical engineering.

It is also a supporter of the South Tyneside Pledge – a commitment by organisations in the borough to boost the area’s economy by working together and providing opportunities for local people.

Andrew Dawson, managing director at Castle, said: “Where possible, we aim to give something back to the communities in which we operate.

"We have developed close links with the college and, when approached by its head of electrical, Keith Pippen, we looked at ways to accommodate the students to fulfil their required work experience.”

He added: “Working in pairs, they shadowed colleagues on a number of live projects in the region, including St George House at Team Valley in Gateshead, where we are the principal contractor chosen by UK Land Estates to transform the historic building into modern office space.

“We have received great feedback from the apprentices and we look forward to our continued close relationship with the college.”

The company won the small to medium company award at the 2023 Constructing Excellence in the North East award – where it was praised for its commitment to social value initiatives and developing strong career routes for its team.

Val Quinan, work placement officer at Tyne Coast College, said: “Castle has been a fantastic employer to work with.

"They have been very supportive and accommodating giving our students week-long work placements, and ‘hands on’ experience of working doing electrical installations on live construction projects.

"The students loved the experience, it gave them a great insight into working in this sector.”