West Dunbartonshire Council and their development partner hub West Scotland are promoting community benefits throughout the design and construction of the new state of the art four-storey facility.

Work to build the centre started in June and BAM, who have been appointed by hub West Scotland to build the leisure centre, have already made significant progress.

As part of the community benefits programme, 20 students from West College Scotland’s Clydebank Campus Design and Media Department will be working alongside BAM and hub West Scotland throughout the 18 month build on various assignments which will provide students with real life project experience.

The first project will see HNC Creative Industries students working on an advertising campaign to promote women in the construction industry. Councillor Patrick McGlinchey, Convener for Infrastructure, Regeneration and Economic Development, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for the students based at the Clydebank Campus of West College Scotland. As part of all of our large capital projects it is important to have community involvement throughout and provide benefits which go beyond the bricks and mortar of the new facilities. I hope that all the students involved find this an extremely worthwhile experience.”

Media Lecturer Kate Cotter said,  “This is just a great opportunity for our students to really get creative and explore different mediums. 

The opportunity to work with live industry briefs on such an intriguing project is just superb. We are all looking forward to seeing the students develop their advertising campaign – good luck to all those who are taking part.”

Debbie Mcnamara CEO  at hub West Scotland, added: Our partnership approach to delivering community benefits focuses on the added value that our projects can deliver for the wider community. The Clydebank Leisure Centre development will provide this group of students with invaluable real life experience as well as provide an opportunity to address a key challenge for our industry, namely promoting women in construction.

Doug   Keillor Regional Director at BAM Construction Scotland, said: “ BAM are looking forward to facilitate this project with the students of West College Scotland, giving the students first-hand experience of the challenges, production and the creativeness that is required to run a construction site and in this case to construct the new  Clydebank Leisure centre project.”

Designed by architects Kennedy FitzGerald Associates, the new leisure centre will feature a 25-metre swimming pool, teaching pool, leisure pool with waves and flume; changing facilities, a café, multi-purpose sports hall with retractable seating, fitness suite and a dance studio. Once completed in early 2017, the new facility will replace the ageing Play Drome on Abbotsford Road.