Work Experience at Wheelscape

This summer we hosted a few students for their work experience, giving them a taste of what goes into designing and building skateparks. (Mmmm concrete). We were joined by GCSE student Joe, and Sam, a third year Product Design student at UWE.

Joe

Joe, a keen scooter rider with a passion for design, came to our Bristol office at Campus Pool and shadowed our lead designer Russ Heideman.

Russ showed him the timeline of a typical skatepark project, some of the technical construction details and gave an insight into the various processes involved in skatepark design. From here, Joe was given a ‘test project’. We created a brief asking him to redesign his local skatepark, with a scaled plan of the existing site, some sketch paper and a scale ruler, Joe set off and came up with some great ideas.

We’re still in conversation with Joe and his Mum Bekkie about some more potential work experience once he has completed his GCSE’s.

Here’s Joe proudly rocking his Wheelscape tee.

Next Generation design with Sam (UWE)

We’re often asked: “How do you get into skatepark design?” Truthfully, there’s no clear-cut pathway just yet, but we’re working to change that, and the students of UWE’s Product Design Course are playing a major role.

While finishing his third year at UWE, Sam Watson reached out to Wheelscape for support with his final major project exploring physical and psychological barriers to skateboarding, citing this standout stat: ‘98% of those that try Skateboarding don’t give it a second change’

Given both our Design Director Russ Heideman and Projects Director Elliot Hamilton are UWE Product Design Alumni and our mission is to increase participation in Skateboarding (and at parks generally) how could we say no? 

In return for our investment in his final project, Sam came and worked with Wheelscape over the summer bringing solid engineering skills, fresh design ideas and, though we hate to admit it, some new-wave CAD modelling insights that don’t come as easily to those born in the 19th century!

Our work with Sam is a glimpse of what’s possible and has sparked a plan for Wheelscape to take up a lecture spot for 2025/26 undergraduates, opening a direct channel from education-into-industry.

The ultimate goal: a Wheelscape graduate development program in collaboration with UWE. Watch this space.

If you’re reading this and dream of doing what we do, please don’t hesitate to pick up the phone.

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