EDUCATE TO FACILITATE
As the CEO of Class Of Your Own and now President of the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors, I have double the responsibility to drive real change across our industry.
We talk a lot about education, about attracting young people, about inclusivity and sustainability – but let’s be honest. A lot of it is rhetoric, repeated time and again to satisfy corporate agendas. It’s time we stop talking ‘at’ them and start working ‘with’ them. It’s time to stop doing what’s easy and start doing what’s RIGHT.
The recent collapse of ISG has left thousands of talented people out of work, unsure of their future in an industry that’s already seen as unstable and uninviting to young talent. It’s exactly why we need to come together even more, to build an industry that truly values its people. We are at a critical moment. The construction industry is about creating spaces that enable all living things to thrive, but to do that, we need to make space for education. Not as an afterthought or a corporate exercise, but as the foundation of everything we do. This industry is something that young people should aspire to, not just fall into.
I’m lucky to have a job that allows me to witness the talent and the drive that exists within our young people, especially when they’re given the tools and opportunities to show what they can do. It’s why we need genuine commitment to adopt new technologies and modern methods and demonstrate sustainability as a living, breathing, enduring reality.
And we need to be honest. If we want young people to see our industry as a career of choice, we need to make it a place worth working in. That means stability, support and a genuine investment in their futures – not just as apprentices and trainees, but as future leaders. We need a holistic environment where we champion creativity and where everyone has a seat at the table. It’s also about the people we’ve already got. ISG’s thousands of workers don’t need sympathy – they need opportunities. They need a pathway back into work. We owe it to them to be more determined than ever in our approach. They are our parents, our children, our friends, our family.
I truly believe we can go from being seen as ‘bottom of the pile’ for careers to ‘top drawer’, but we don’t need any more reports. We need an industry-wide effort to collaborate and educate in ways that are meaningful and lasting. Young people aren’t looking for jobs, they’re looking for careers with purpose, careers that challenge and inspire them and allow them to create a legacy. We need to show them, their teachers and their parents, that our industry can provide that; that construction isn’t just about building ‘stuff’, it’s about building and maintaining life itself – and that’s something worth investing in.
Let’s put education at the very core of who we are and what we’re really capable of. I’m ready to lead the charge – and I know many of you are too.
#MakeSpaceForEducation