A local MP has praised the work of exceptional young talent during a visit to a hospital construction project in Keighley, West Yorkshire.
Anna Dixon MP visited Airedale General Hospital to see how work is progressing on a phased programme of structural repairs across the estate. The hospital serves over 220,000 people across Yorkshire and Lancashire.
During the tour, the Labour MP for Shipley met Lleyton Hirst, a first-year Bradford College student undertaking a work placement with Robertson Construction Yorkshire & East Midlands as part of a T Level in Design, Surveying & Planning for Construction. T Levels are two-year qualifications equivalent to three A Levels that combine classroom study with a 45-day hands-on industry work placement.
Lleyton spent time showing the MP the wards currently undergoing work, as well as the construction measures in place to minimise disruption for patients and staff. To date, the project has provided 765 apprenticeship weeks for 39 apprentices and has also supported a further student who progressed from a T Level placement into a degree apprenticeship with Robertson.
Built in the late 1960s, the hospital was constructed using Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) – a lightweight, bubbly material with notoriously poor durability. Robertson is now undertaking remediation work to structurally support areas of the hospital in phases.
The Labour MP for Shipley has actively supported the works at Airedale General Hospital since her election in 2024, campaigning for continued funding and a timetable for the hospital's future replacement. This week, the site visit and T Level students were also mentioned by the MP at Prime Minister’s Questions, using Lleyton as an example of how young people can benefit from vocational career opportunities in critical industries.
Anna Dixon MP said: “It was fantastic to meet Lleyton today and see firsthand the amazing work our local young talent is doing as part of the structural repair work taking place at Airedale Hospital.
“T Level qualifications combine studying with practical experience, and it is clear this equips our young people for successful careers in construction and other sectors.
“I am pleased to see the great progress being made to tackle the RAAC-affected wards on the Airedale site by Robertson.”
