Donaldson Timber Engineering Co-Sponsor’s Fife College Students in Design Engineer Construct! Programme
On Tuesday 30th April, 5 Fife College students visited Donaldson Timber Engineering (DTE) in Buckhaven for the afternoon. The students were given a tour of the production facilities and met with some truss designers to discuss their college projects. As part of the Built Environment Department, Fife college has offered this Design Engineer Construct! (DEC) programme in partnership with DTE and MiTek, who specialises in the development of software solutions for structural timber engineering and the provision of steel connector products for floor and roofing systems.
DEC is an accredited learning course for secondary school pupils and has been developed to inspire the next generation of Built Environment professionals. Through a project-based approach, DEC applies school subjects to the latest construction industry practices. There are currently 7 students taking part in the initiative.
DTE has chosen to co-sponsor the programme, along with MiTek to help the students to gain insight into the industry, beyond the classroom. The students were able to experience the benefits of this partnership first-hand, as they were given a tour of the new head office building at Buckhaven and were able to apply real-life building considerations such as energy saving practices and costing, to their projects. It was a great way to reinforce what they have been learning in the classroom and give it some context.
"This has been an enriching experience for all parties involved, and I think we have all learned something valuable throughout the process. We are pleased that we have been able to help these students gain real-life design experience and insight into timber engineering to help them move forward in their future careers. We would also like to say a huge thanks to MiteK and Fife College for helping to support this fantastic programme."
The students presented their final projects to their lecturers, friends, family and peers at the awards event run by Fife College on Tuesday 4th June.