WITH THE Kincardine bridge nearing completion and a new Forth bridge in the pipeline, local primary school children are being encouraged to consider a future career in civil engineering.

The construction firm behind the Upper Forth crossing at Kincardine —Morgan Vinci—has been helping over 500 youngsters from 12 schools throughout the area to build their own model bridges.

Pupils have been given the chance to create an eight-metre cable stayed bridge at Oakley Campus, the home of Inzievar and Holy Name primary schools.

Chairman of the education and children’s services committee Councillor Douglas Chapman said, “This initiative has provided the many children taking part a unique chance to get involved with civil engineer- ing in a real, hands-on way.

“Improving educational attainment and achievement is one of the council’s top priorities and projects such as this are a valuable way of opening up child-ren’s minds and teaching them lessons which can’t always be learned within the classroom.”

The bridge kit was supplied by Dunsmore Consultants courtesy of Morgan Vinci Group and the pupils were supervised by volunteer civil engineers.

Once the pupils had constructed their crossing, they donned hard hats to test its strength by walking across it.

Morgan Vinci also plan to invite schools from Falkirk and Clackmannan local authorities to take part in the Bridges to Schools project, supported by the Institution of Civil Engineers.

The institution’s director for Scotland Derek Elder said, “The Upper Forth crossing is a major civil engineering project and we hope that when all the pupils have been involved in building their own bridge they will understand how the real thing works.”