A second party of students from the University of Brighton will visit the Clay’s Lake project in West Sussex next week, as part of Mackley’s latest initiative to provide aspiring civil engineers with real life experience.
Taking place on Monday (24 Oct), around 45 students will visit the site where flood prevention works are being carried out by Mackley working as part of Team Van Oord.
The visit will help the students develop their understanding of how theoretical practice is applied in a working environment, while also further strengthening the relationship between Mackley and the University.
A party of students first visited the site in November 2015 (see pic), and this summer Mackley handed one-year work placements to two students from the University.
The site visits are being organised in partnership with Dr Maria Diakoumi, Principal Lecturer in Civil Engineering in the School of Environment & Technology at the University of Brighton.
Dr Diakoumi said: “Site visits are a very important part of our courses. Visiting a ‘live’ construction site gives our students a valuable insight into the civil engineering industry and enhances their understanding of how taught theoretical principles are applied in practice.”
Mackley is committed to forging links and partnerships with local academic establishments, in order to enhance students’ learning experience and aid their successful development.
In addition to organising the site visits, Mackley has also made a series of presentations at the University on issues relating to sustainability and environmental awareness on civil engineering sites.
Dave Knapp, Mackley’s Business Development and Marketing Manager and a member of the local Industrial Advisory Board, said: “We look forward to welcoming the students to Clay’s Lake and hope they will find the visit both interesting and useful.
“The students who visited last year were very enthusiastic and keen to learn, and it was a pleasure to host the visit; I’m sure it will be just the same this time round.”
The Clay’s Lake project
The works at Clay’s Lake are being carried out by Mackley as part of the Upper Mole Flood Alleviation Scheme which was developed by the Environment Agency after floods in the Crawley area during 2000.
The works comprise the removal of an existing dam which is being replaced with a larger dam. This will increase the lake’s capacity from 10,000 cubic metres to nearly 400,000 cubic metres, thereby reducing the risk of flood during periods of heavy rainfall.
Associated works include the excavation of a ‘borrow’ area to provide materials for the new dam, and mitigation measures including the creation of a pond and tree pruning.
19 October 2016
