Wienerberger has received the Investors in Education 2017 Award in recognition of its work and positive partnerships developed over the last academic year with young people and schools.
EBP, the organisation behind the award, is a social enterprise that focuses on developing the skills of young people across the country. One project that Wienerberger has been working on is the annual attendance at the Lincolnshire Showground event, which gives primary and secondary school pupils the opportunity to develop their hand to eye coordination by creating 3D clay sculptures. This also offers the children the chance to find out more about the work that Wienerberger’s Heritage department undertakes, as well as the process of developing intricate finials and sculptures.
In addition to this, Wienerberger recently donated 16,000 clay bricks to Hull’s 151 nursery schools as part of a project to get children involved in Hull UK City of Culture 2017. The children, aged 0-5 years, were asked to sculpt a Wienerberger brick, which has been dried and fired to create an art installation for the city centre. The company also aims to engage with older students, holding a successful Heritage event at Headingly Cricket Ground, Leeds, earlier this year. Demonstrating how interesting the industry can be and attracting pupils into construction, pupils were asked to create small dragon finials as well as learn about the many historic and iconic buildings that Wienerberger has worked on across the country.
Ian Martinson and sustainability manager, Stephanie Palmer, will both be attending the formal Awards ceremony on November 28. Ian Martinson, heritage and factory 3 team leader, commented: “We are continually looking for new ways in which we can engage with the younger generations and highlight the importance of construction in education. We are thrilled to have participated in so many fantastic projects and we’re looking forward to seeing what opportunities the new academic year will bring.”
