Preston’s College has embedded a focus on mental health in its curriculum, to help young talent embarking on a career in the construction sector to be more aware of their mental health and wellbeing.
Construction is a priority sector for Lancashire and there are many opportunities for learners to develop the skills they need to develop a career in the industry. It’s also important for us to highlight mental health issues as the construction industry has a high incidence.
The modules will be delivered by experienced industry tutors across all levels of study and will highlight the warning signs and signpost learners to help and support. A key part is encouraging debate and helping young people to recognise the signs of colleagues who may need support.
Last year industry professional and campaigner, Tim Whittle, shared his inspirational story of the challenges he has endured with his mental health with construction learners. He also visited the college on his epic 900 mile walk from John O’Groats to Land’s End, raising more than £11,700 for Mates in Mind, a registered UK charity that raises awareness, addresses the stigma of poor mental health and promotes positive mental wellbeing across workplaces, especially in construction.
As well as lessons on resilience, mental health and mental health in construction, the college will organise a series of inspirational guest speakers to bring the topic to life and engage young learners. These include Tim Whittle and ex-professional footballer Lee Thorpe, who share their stories of addiction and mental health challenges. In addition, all learners will take the Level 1 mental health awareness course.
Mark Taylor, head of school, explains: “Construction is a varied and rewarding sector to work in but it is also one where the pressures are sometimes high and people can be more likely than average to experience work-related stress and other mental health issues.
“Over the past few years we’ve been encouraging debate around mental wellbeing but we felt we needed to embed this more formally in our learning programme. Construction is still a male dominated profession and men are traditionally not great at communicating when they are struggling. We don’t want any of our learners suffering in silence.
“It’s important we give our young learners the vocabulary to express themselves and to respond to friends and colleagues who may confide in them. We also need to break down barriers and challenge the stigma associated with having problems with your mental health, it happens to many people and we need to be able to talk about it.”
