Colas Ltd Sponsors Educational Children's Book Inspiring Future Generations in Construction
09-12-2024
Colas Ltd, is proud to announce its collaboration with Leeds City Council to sponsor the educational children's book, “Cones and Making Choices,” authored by Chris Madeley. The book highlights the diverse career paths available in construction for all children, regardless of gender or background. Featuring contributions from Whinmoor St. Paul’s Primary School and Leeds College of Building, the book aims to engage and inspire young learners as they explore the exciting possibilities within the industry.
“Cones and Making Choices” is the 21st instalment in the “Cones” series, a children’s book series designed to educate and inspire young readers about the construction and engineering industry. The imaginative series follows four traffic cones as they embark on adventures to explore the world around them, offering children an engaging way to learn about the significance of civil engineering in their everyday lives.
In this story, the cones go to a primary school and overhear a conversation which leads them to the Leeds College of Building. At the college, they encounter Ayo, a female student and aspiring civil engineer. Readers are invited to experience her visit to Colas, where she encounters a character inspired by the Colas team, and Josie, one of Leeds City Council’s civil engineers. During this visit, she learns more about the crucial role that civil engineering plays in shaping communities and building infrastructure.
On Tuesday 19th November, Colas hosted the launch of the new book at the Leeds College of Building alongside Lord Mayor of Leeds, Abigail Marshall Katung, Chris Madeley, and Sinead Clarkson, ambassador of The National Association of Women in Construction. The book was primarily launched at Whinmoor St Paul’s school on 11th November.
The events provided an opportunity to inspire young people, highlighting career opportunities for both men and women in the construction and engineering sector.
During her address, the Lord Mayor said: “I’m a huge advocate of STEM, and it gives me so much joy to read the book and to see how you have infused the choices that young people make.”
“We are grateful and proud of you to have chosen this industry, and I hope that the college continues to open their doors in mentoring young people. Ensuring that they continue to stay in STEM, but of course there are other courses.”
Nikki Davis, CEO & Principal of Leeds College of Building, said: “We were delighted to host the Colas-sponsored book launch today. As an ambassador for construction and built environment training in Leeds, it’s vital that we reach young people at a very early age and showcase the exciting, worthwhile, and varied career paths and opportunities available to them regardless of gender or background. This children’s book is an innovative tactic to do just that, and it’s great to see the likes of our former T Level student, Ayo, featured in it too, showing just where this sector can lead.”
Following the launch, students were given the opportunity to engage directly with representatives from Colas, including the social value team, and the broader supply chain during a networking session. This invaluable experience enabled students to broach topics around work, ask questions about various career paths, EDI in the workplace, and build their communication skills in a real-world context.
If you would like us to engage with students about the vital role of women in construction and provide educational books for your pupils, please reach out. Our team is eager to inspire the next generation by sharing insights into career opportunities within the construction industry. Please contact socialvalue@colas.co.uk to discuss how we can collaborate and bring these important conversations to your school.
