Construction students from Wisbech have teamed up with the town’s Queen Mary Centre (QMC) in a bid to “develop their skills”.
Pupils from the College of West Anglia's Wisbech campus have been in collaboration for two years now and it has seen 20 students go on to do work experience at the QMC.
It all began when Nicola Knowles, community centre and catering events coordinator at QMC, visited the campus to see what work they were doing.
Ms Knowles said: "The QMC has a key role to play in providing support to the local community and adding social value to collaborative projects."
Students have undertaken a number of tasks, including painting and decorating function rooms, office walls and skirting boards and assisting with setting out rooms for events.
Run by The Ferry Project, the Queen Mary Centre is a large community space on Queen's Road in Wisbech and features three halls, meeting rooms, a youth suite, kitchen and a café.
Ms Knowles added: "Working alongside the College of West Anglia helps us achieve these objectives.
"The students on voluntary work experience have made a valued contribution towards updating our building by assisting with redecoration and giving some of our rooms a fresh, new look.
"The students also get to develop their social skills with an opportunity to integrate and engage with members of local community and groups, who use the centre daily."
Guy Bridge, work placement and careers co-ordinator at College of West Anglia's Wisbech campus, said: 'The QMC have been extremely supportive in offering our students experience opportunities.
"It's clear that staff at the QMC are passionate about encouraging young people to explore their potential by giving them the opportunity to practice their skills in a safe and welcoming environment.
"The QMC provides an ideal setting for students to gain in confidence, overcome barriers as well as helping them to recognise their own strengths and attributes.
"The collaborative relationship built up over the last two years between the college and the Queen Mary Centre has been mutually beneficial and hopefully will go from strength to strength into the future."
For more information about the QMC, visit: www.queenmarycentre.co.uk
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