Who’s Involved – Private Sector: McAlpine Plumbing

Depute Headteacher: Linburn School is a Glasgow City Council school for children with complex learning difficulties. The age range is 12 to 18 and we are a secondary unit.

Headteacher: All of the children in our school have complex learning difficulties. It covers a wide range from pupils who just have difficulty with formal learning to pupils who have no speech, no independent movement, to pupils who have autistic disorder and can’t relate to other people.

Until a few years ago, we didn't have work experience in the school and we decided that it was really important for the pupils to have that opportunity. We decided we wanted the last two years at school to be as close to adult life as possible.

Assistant Factory Manager (McAlpine Plumbing) : McAlpine Company manufacture, predominantly, plastic plumbing products. McAlpine were approached by Linburn School through a personal contact – that’s how the relationship [was] initiated. Linburn, I believe, were looking for a partner at that time. We are very local to them – basically on their doorstep. After the initial contact was made McAlpine then had to decide is this right for us and how do we take this forward, what options we would have to consider and what we’d have to put in place to make this happen.

We have to consider the health and safety aspects of pupils coming into a work environment. Through that, we have had to carry out in-house risk assessments of each of the functions and the areas that the pupils would be involved in. Through this, we decided that the most appropriate area would be the assembly area and that’s where we felt it would be best positioned for the pupils to operate.

Instructor: The day that they got the overalls from the factory was a huge thing for the pupils. You could see the self-esteem raised. They were part of this factory – the same as everybody else.

Assistant Factory Manager:The work that the pupils carry out here is very meaningful, both for them and for us. This is work that if they didn't do, would otherwise have to be done with other employees. This is real, live work. All of the work that they do is very genuine, very real and it all is used – there is nothing that is a simulation.

Pupil: I know about the supervisors in the factory. She shows me how to put stuff in the bags, press the pedal and then it moves along and then it goes in a big box.

Depute Headteacher: Young people with complex learning difficulties learn best in small steps and what the partnership with McAlpine has done is give them the ability to go in on a week-in week-out basis and build their learning week by week.

They started out with two components, they can now assemble up to six different components on a weekly basis. So, they have made real progress.

It’s given them an expectation of some sort of work role, post-school. With support, they’ve been included in that factory workforce and that is the single thing that will make the difference. A little bit of support will allow them to work and have their place in the world.

Factory Worker 2: I think other companies should take, maybe, a bit of a look at it because it’s good for us [and] it’s good for them. So, it’s got to be good all round, does it not?

Pupil: When I finish my work I feel tired. But I feel great. I like to go to work, same as everybody else. I love to go to my work.