Pupils at Jackton Primary School in East Kilbride have taken part in Cala Homes’ ‘Land to Life’ project – a curriculum-based schools programme aimed at teaching children between the ages of seven and eleven about the housebuilding industry.
The initiative is part of Cala’s Community Pledge, which brings a host of bespoke, meaningful benefits to the communities in which Cala builds.
Greg McNeish, Assistant Site Manager at Cala Homes (West) visited Jackton Primary School to speak to pupils and help build grassroots awareness of how new homes are developed and the important part that homebuilders play in creating sustainable new communities.
He spoke to the class about the homebuilding industry and the variety of diverse roles within the sector as well as the creation of the nearby Cedar Brae development. The pupils also got to see before and after images of the developments, as well as the masterplan to give them real insight into the new Jackton community.
The Land to Life programme supports a drive to cultivate early talent and help transform perceptions of roles within the housebuilding sector. It has been designed by Cala Homes in partnership with a specialist education consultant, with participating schools receiving a comprehensive suite of teachers’ notes and detailed lesson plans along with interactive presentations, worksheets and animated videos focusing on six key topics.
Greg said: “It was brilliant to be able to visit Jackton Primary School and speak to the pupils about Cala and the homebuilding sector as a whole. The pupils who were involved, were thoroughly engaged with the full lesson, asking inquisitive questions about different roles and the different types of career paths available.
“The visit shows that there is a real opportunity to harness the curiosity of young people and highlight how this sector can open doors for everyone and allows us to ensure they have all the information they need to later evaluate if this is the industry for them.”
Greg added: “Land to Life helps to support our ambitions around early talent and diversity, opening young minds to the fact that our industry is about much more than bricks and mortar.
“This is an exciting and dynamic industry to be part of, with such varied career opportunities, but we all know it needs to be more diverse. We believe changing perceptions at a grassroots level is one of the ways we can improve this in the long-term.”
The lessons cover design and technology, sustainability, planning and marketing and highlight the various job roles available within the industry.
Cala’s latest Jackton development, Cedar Brae, offers a collection of three-, four- and five-bedroom homes.
For more information on Cedar Brae, visit https://www.cala.co.uk/homes-for-sale/scotland/south-lanarkshire/cedar-brae-jackton/.
Issued by Tigerbond on behalf of Cala Homes (West). For more information contact:
Karen Devine / karen.devine@tigerbond.com / 07912780832
Riagain Callan / riagain.callan@tigerbond.com / 07713310707
Shaun Keeney / shaun.keeney@tigerbond.com / 07730415026
- Cala Group is a major UK home builder focused on building well-designed, high-quality homes in prime locations throughout the South of England, the Cotswolds and Scotland.
- Cala started as the City of Aberdeen Land Association in 1875 and was the first Scottish company listed on the London Stock Market.
- Cala Group employs over 1,300 people across 9 offices and has around 75 live developments at any time.
- Cala was awarded the maximum 5 Star rating in the Home Builders Federation’s National New Homes Customer Satisfaction Survey, for the eighth year running. The independent survey found that 96% of our customers would recommend Cala to a friend.
- In 2024 Cala Group sold 2,861 homes, resulting in a turnover of £1,168m and profit before tax (before exceptional items and revaluations) of £78m.
- Cala has made a commitment to help fight the effects of climate change on the planet by reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its value chain in line with the Scottish Government’s 2045 target and ahead of UK Government’s 2050 target.
For further information visit www.cala.co.uk.
