Second year students took time out from their usual classes to attend the workshop which was delivered by Robertson and supported by the Construction Industry Trading Board (CITB). The session aimed to teach youngsters about the range of engineering careers available and the skills required to work in the industry.

Pupils also learned about how the skills they acquired at school could be applied in the construction world. They particularly enjoyed using slices of chocolate cake to demonstrate practical use of Pythagoras’ Theorem.

Ethan McGuire, a student from Trinity High School, said: “Finding out about the skills involved in construction and practising these was fun. What’s more, we got to eat the cake.”

The real-life example of nearby regeneration project, Cuningar Loop, was used in the workshop. Robertson Civil Engineering is currently completing a £4 million land remediation project in the area as part of the Commonwealth Games Legacy 2014 scheme. Robertson Group recently hired its first civil engineering modern apprentice and plans to recruit more in the future.

Robertson will be working with the school later this year to recruit pupils for the Get Into Engineering project. The highly successful and popular programme, devised and managed by Clyde Gateway, is about to enter into its third year from this coming August and will provide pupils with an opportunity to gain hands-on experience at the Cuningar Loop site over a ten week period.

The Trinity High School visit is part of a number of community engagement events Robertson held across Scotland during Apprenticeship Week to encourage young people to consider a career in construction and engineering.

More events were held in Dundee, Edinburgh, Brechin and Stirling including a ‘lab in a lorry’, a live construction site college visit and recruitment days.

The activities are part of Robertson’s wider Young People Strategy, which has already engaged with more than 3,000 individuals in 2015. The programme aims to address the skills shortage in the Scottish construction industry by increasing awareness amongst younger people of the diverse range of job opportunities available.

Gemma Nicoll, community development manager, at Robertson, said: “We are proactively working to tackle the skills gap in the industry and an ideal way to do so is by connecting with schools and teaching young people about the world of construction in a fun and engaging way. We had great feedback about the workshop from pupils and teachers, with many of the students expressing an interest in pursuing a career in engineering.

“We have lots more engagement events planned for 2015 with schools, colleges and universities across Scotland.”