Students from The Pine School, in Birmingham, recently got the chance to put their skills to the test at Finning HQ as part of their class construction project.
Eight students from the school were welcomed to the Cannock headquarters of Finning UK & Ireland, the world’s largest dealer of Cat® machines, parts and services to help develop their careers and relevant skills.
The Pines School is an all-ages ASC (autism spectrum condition) specific school where children are encouraged to learn through active participation. There is also a strong focus on learning outside of the classroom in the surrounding community.
Lyndsey Franklin, Customer Relationship Supervisor at Finning UK & Ireland, presented to students and staff from the school, providing valuable insights into various Cat machinery. Following the presentation, the students observed several machines in action at the Cat Compact Centre’s dedicated demonstration ground. Alex Clarke, Operator Trainer at Finning UK & Ireland, conducted the demonstration showcasing the Cat 308, Cat 302.7, Cat 428, and the Cat CS66.
A highlight of the day included a chance for students to explore stationary machines, being able to take the operator’s seat and inspect the various controls. Teacher Ben Campbell from The Pines School said taking an integrated, practical approach to education enabled students to receive the most benefit.
He said: “The pupils all have a diagnosis of autism, for many of them learning needs to be concrete. This means using physical resources and having the chance to get hands-on in their environment is vital to their learning and development.
“This way of integrated learning meant that the pupils were not only able to safely explore heavy machinery, but they were also able to develop social skills with Finning employees and explore the community outside of the school grounds.”
Alex Clarke said: “As a company we promote the benefits of practical learning from our apprenticeship programme right through to the continual development of our operators and engineers – and we see first-hand the benefits of an integrated approach.
“We really enjoy the opportunity to share our expertise with students, and we hope to have inspired some of the next generation into a career in construction and engineering.”
Ben added: “As a school it is so important we provide our pupils with access to the real world, and due to some pupils’ needs this can have its challenges but I can confidently say all the pupils have taken some fantastic memories with them that I am confident will last a life time.”
