Bricklaying students have been given an insight into the very foundations of working life on a building site.

The Level 1 students from Stockton Riverside College were invited to visit Tolent Living's North Shore housing development.

The first of a series of visits to the Stockton site, the students will now continue to monitor the progress of the build as it develops.

Chris Hayes, the college's programme area leader for Construction Engineering and Design, said: "This is a great opportunity for our students to see first hand a site develop from the ground up."

Describing Bricklaying as an "exciting and well paid career" he said: "There are many different routes you can take as a bricklayer such as housing maintenance, civil engineering projects and working on a site building new houses, like this one."

Bricklaying student Paul Banthorpe, 17, from Stockton, said: "It was good to go to the site and see a real working environment. It gives you a different experience, shows how the working environment is different to college and it helps us to make links with such a big company."