Local company working on major school project in Baglan

Port Talbot Brickwork has secured a major contract on the construction of Ysgol Newydd Bae Baglan.

The contract was awarded by main contractors Bouygues UK and the company is due to start work on site soon.

The new 3-16 school is being built on Western Avenue playing fields adjacent to Seaway Parade, Sandfields and is due to open in September 2016.

This £40m development is the biggest single investment in school infrastructure in the history of Neath Port Talbot and paves the way for an exciting and transformational approach to delivering education services with primary and secondary phase education integrated in an ‘all though’ approach.

Bouygues UK is working closely with Neath Port Talbot Council’s Business Development team to maximise the amount of local contracts and suppliers used on the project.

Councillor Ali Thomas OBE, Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council said: “This new school will be a wonderful facility we can all be proud of and demonstrates our commitment to education and providing the best possible opportunities for our young people.

“Creating local job opportunities is one of our key priorities and it is vital that we make the most of investment and construction projects such as this one. I am delighted to see that the contractor is working with us to provide trading and employment opportunities to benefit local people and businesses.”

Port Talbot Brickwork have just completed work on Swansea University’s Bay Campus where the company won the contract for the 1500 room student accommodation block, the largest brickwork contract on the site.

Securing the work on the new school is also good news for Dale Carter and Kieran Healey; two apprentices taken on by Port Talbot Brickwork during their work at the Bay Campus.

Both have now completed their Level 1 Young Recruits Apprenticeship and with the company securing the contract at Bae Baglan, they will have the opportunity to progress to the next Level.

Dale Carter said “Port Talbot Brickwork is great to work for. The experience I have gained working with the company on such a high profile development has been invaluable. I look forward to working on the Bae Baglan project to progress further.”

Company owners, Nigel Cuthbertson and Stephen Platt are looking forward to starting on the new school. They said: “We have just completed a big contract on one of the most prestigious developments in the country. We are pleased to secure further work for our workforce and for Dale and Kieran in particular. They will now have the chance to gain more experience on another high profile construction project.”

“We always try to support apprentices through the Cyfle shared apprentice scheme and have provided on-site work experience on our projects for other young people.”

Bouygues UK’s Construction Director for Ysgol Newydd Bae Baglan, Justin Moore, said: “We’re committed to working with the council so that local companies can benefit from the scheme, reinvesting some of the project spend with businesses in the area. Port Talbot Brickwork is an experienced company, having worked on the wider regeneration as part of the Swansea University Bay Campus project, and is well placed to help us deliver the new school. We’re happy to have them on board as part of our team.”