Lanarkshire school pupils recently learnt about future jobs at a new hospital in Airdrie.

Eight students attended the Monklands Replacement Project (MRP) summer school during their holidays to learn about NHS Lanarkshire’s project to create the University Hospital Monklands.

The students were fourth and fifth years from St Aidan’s High in Wishaw, St Ambrose High in Coatbridge, and Trinity High in Rutherglen.

The event was organised by the team behind the Community Benefits programme which includes skills training, apprenticeships, and job opportunities.

(Image: NHS Lanarkshire)

Lesley Aitken, engagement lead at MRP Community Benefits, said: “The commitment of the young people to attending summer school on five mornings of their holiday was inspiring, and they approached their challenges with enthusiasm and real fervour to do a good job."

She revealed that the focus of the summer school was facilities management which involves jobs such as building maintenance, domestic services, and estates management.

The students toured the University Hospital Monklands, familiarising themselves with how facilities management contributes to patient care.

(Image: NHS Lanarkshire)

She said: “Then they were given a task - to come up with a response to a flood in the hospital.

“They had to use the information from the tour and speak to our staff before designing storyboards with their solutions that were presented to an audience of our colleagues.

"The young people also took part in a session to hone their employability skills.

"They were a real credit to themselves, their families and their schools."

The MRP Community Benefits programme forms part of NHS Lanarkshire's commitment as an Anchor Organisation - a local employer positively influencing community health conditions.

(Image: NHS Lanarkshire)

Olivia Holmes, an S5 student at Trinity High, said: “I found this week useful. A good bit was the tour and seeing how everything works and everything around the hospital - the systems and all the things they need to go through.

“I’d really like to do something around construction or engineering - my plan would be to get a Modern Apprenticeship or go through college.

“I think the NHS would be a good option because of the new hospital they’re building – there’ll be lots of job opportunities.”

Malina Korzeniowska, an S4 student at St Ambrose High, said: “I take design & manufacture at school and I just felt like the whole course was quite related to it and would be really good for my CV.

“It’s been really interesting – there’s a lot of things we were shown that I wasn't expecting to be here. I was thinking of studying engineering at university and I think this is really great as work experience.”

Fergus Miller, an S5 student at St Aidan’s High, said: “I’d like to maybe do something with engineering or design, so Summer School has been good.

“I’ve learned a bit about different jobs in the hospital that I didn’t really know about and had lots of communication with my peers. I’d definitely recommend it, for communication skills for your CV.”