Summer interns join Mersey Gateway Project
Five young people from North West England have joined the Mersey Gateway Project on paid summer internships.
The interns are a mix of students and recent graduates from universities in Liverpool, Salford and Birmingham.
Summer interns Sophie Long (L) and Hayley Percival (R) on site at the Mersey Gateway Project
They are each spending a minimum of six weeks on site with Merseylink, the construction consortium building Halton’s iconic bridge and road project.
They include:
- environment intern Hayley Percival and planning intern Sophie Long, both from Warrington; and
- civil engineering interns Mohammed Elgattani, Robert Kilvington, and Jamie Hilton, who all live in Liverpool.
Hayley, 31, who studied for a wildlife conservation degree at the University of Salford, said:
“I love working on the project, it’s a unique experience. It’s great to be able to work with the project’s environment team and build on my knowledge of environmental management and ecology within a construction setting.”
Sophie, 21, is due to graduate with a degree in Geography from the University of Birmingham and will begin a Masters degree in Planning at the University of Manchester in September.
Jamie, 22 and Robert, 21, are both studying civil engineering degrees at the University of Liverpool, while 20-year-old Mohammed is a student at Liverpool John Moores University.
Jamie is enjoying his time on site so far:
“My degree course is theory-based so I wanted to gain some practical experience through an internship. The project is fascinating and I’m enjoying working with the site engineers.”
The five interns are working alongside the Mersey Gateway Project’s expert teams, gaining valuable industry-specific skills, which will help to support their current studies and enhance their future career prospects.
Richard Walker, Merseylink’s project director, welcomed the summer interns, saying:
“I’m delighted to welcome our interns to the team. We’re always keen to support young people who are interested in pursuing a career in the construction industry.
“This is a rare opportunity to be involved in making history and gain an insight into one of the biggest engineering and infrastructure projects currently underway in the UK. I’m sure the experience will stand them in good stead for the future.”
Councillor Rob Polhill, leader of Halton Borough Council and chair of the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board, said:
“Once again this shows how the Mersey Gateway Project is bringing benefits to Halton and the wider area in terms of employment and skills opportunities.
“These young people will be the next generation of engineers, planners and ecologists, so it’s fantastic that Merseylink can offer them valuable work experience on a live construction site.”
