Mayor Thornhill was on site to see the work VolkerFitzpatrick and subcontractors, Keltbray are doing in support of The Prince’s Trust’s ‘Get into Construction’ programme. The six week programme is designed to provide eight, 18-24 year olds with employability and health & safety training, site tours and ultimately a work placement.

As part of their support, the site team staged mock interviews to help the young people perfect their interview techniques, improve their CV’s and advise them on effective job searching.

In addition, eight young people were given their first look at a major construction site during a site tour. The aim of the tour was to help the youngsters with their transition into the working environment. One of The Prince’s Trust youngsters, Naois Boner was also given the opportunity of a work placement on site with VolkerFitzpatrick’s engineering team.

During her visit, Mayor Thornhill also learnt about the work placement programme that VolkerFitzpatrick is undertaking with West Herts College.

Three engineering students, Henry and Harry Williams and Nicole Aston were provided the opportunity to work alongside experienced engineers, planners and designers to get an insight into a live construction environment.

Mayor Dorothy Thornhill commented: “I was delighted to see how The Prince’s Trust’s ‘Get into Construction’ project is helping young people in Watford gain exciting and rewarding insight into the world of Civil Engineering.

I really enjoyed meeting Naois on site and learning about his role with VolkerFitzpatrick’s engineering team. He is not only learning new skills, but also playing a role in one of our town's most important projects.

The new road will cut journey times to and from our hospital and unlock acres of derelict land to provide new jobs and homes. VolkerFitzpatrick should be congratulated for their engagement with local residents and their commitment to young people in Watford, offering them the opportunity to make a vital contribution to the future of our town.”

Calvin Howe, VolkerFitzpatrick workplace manager added: “We are delighted to be able to support The Prince’s Trust and West Herts College in their commitment to get youngsters into the construction industry.

“All the placement students as well as Naois, have been great additions to the site team and we hope that working alongside our experienced team in a live environment will benefit their future careers.

“We have a long running relationship with The Prince’s Trust and have developed great links with West Herts College and we hope to further develop these links in the future to help more youngsters fulfil their potential.”

The VolkerFitzpatrick project to construct the new access road to the Watford Health Campus began in January 2015 and is expected to be complete by the end of 2016.