Miller Homes celebrates success of school partnership

Miller Homes East Midlands has celebrated the success of its eco-themed ‘House for the Future' construction challenge at a honorary evening held by the Derbyshire Education Business Partnership (DEBP).

The DEBP, an orgainisation which aims to develop and maintain links between local employers and schools, held the event as a thank you to members of the local business community who had volunteered their time over the past year to organise a host of interesting work-related activities within the County's schools.

The innovative ‘House for the Future' project saw a group of twenty Year-11 BTEC Construction Studies students from Lees Brook Community Sports College in Chaddesden work in conjunction with senior management from Miller Homes East Midlands. Together they created designs for eco-friendly four-bedroom homes using alternative energy technology and environmentally-sound techniques.

Malcolm Ceney, production director at Miller Homes East Midlands, was amongst the keynote speakers on the evening to present showcases of successful projects run in partnership with the DEBP over the last 12 months.

Alongside technical manager, Mike Morten, and local architect, Richard White, Malcolm said of the project: "At Miller Homes we see climate change as a very serious issue, which is why we believe it's essential to teach future housebuilders that considering green-issues when building a new home can have positive effects on the environment.

"We found it very rewarding working alongside youngsters who have such a keen interest in construction. I hope that by taking part we were able to give these students a greater understanding of the modern day construction industry and also the challenges faced by it in the future."

Throughout the four week project, the students took part in a variety of activities to generate ideas for their designs, including a tour of Miller Homes' Highfields Park development in Derby, and workshops concerning existing building methods and site practice. The students also had time for a tour of Miller Homes' regional office in Derby where they had the opportunity to visit each department giving them an insight into the work involved in building a new housing development.

Claire Knee of DEBP commented: "Projects such as these not only have a positive effect on the youngsters but also the businesses involved.

"It was a unique opportunity for the students of Lees Brook to really enhance their studies and tap-in to the expanse of knowledge that these senior industry professionals have, whilst those involved from Miller Homes were delighted by the dedication and creativity the students applied to the project throughout its duration."

For more information about challenges involving schools and businesses, log on to Debp.co.uk.