Your industry needs you
Terry Watts, CEO, Chartered Surveyors Training Trust
CICES members are a small, if perfectly formed, part of a very large sector of around 3.2 million people. Constructing Excellence puts the numbers even higher at as much as 20% of the UK workforce of 33 million.
Rather than get tied up in definitions of the sector however, I think we can agree it is very large. We can probably also agree that there is a shortage of skilled people and not enough of the next generation choose the sector as a career destination of choice. Maybe we can even agree that the sector is aging, with estimates of up to 54% of current professionals looking to retire in the next five years1.
To avoid significant problems therefore we need to attract a lot of new entrants, many of whom will need to be school leavers. Attracting school leavers will also help address the inequity in the sector with women and minorities of all types under represented hugely. One day, we may even have a workforce that represents the society we are creating the built environment for. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Companies and organisations across the built environment haven’t been idle. There are dozens of not for profit organisations and charities working hard with many excellent programmes and resources to reach new entrants. Huge numbers of developments have section 106 or Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funds that are spent on engaging schools and communities.
Finding the several hundred who would make great geospatial surveyors among the millions of students is pretty impossible, so we have a problem.Yet when we go into a school as few as 6% of students think of the sector for their careers and those that do see only construction – maybe architecture – but mostly trade jobs. We need architects and trades people of course, but we also need geospatial surveyors and many other skilled professionals. Finding the several hundred who would make great geospatial surveyors among the millions of students is pretty impossible, so we have a problem.
Having understood this landscape, the Chartered Surveying Training Trust (CSTT) designed My Environment My Future2 (MEMF) with the modest ambition of simply introducing the built environment as a career destination which is fundamental importance to the health, wealth and wellbeing of our society.
For starters, we need bright new people and ideas to reduce the 42% of all greenhouse gases resulting from the built environment, as well as the 34% of all landfill, which usually strike a chord with young people. With more young people in the pipeline we can then direct the right ones to geospatial surveying. To overcome cost barriers schools fear with careers initiatives, use of MEMF is free.
To overcome the problem of training people to use it, we linked MEMF to the ‘urban environments’ and ‘places’ modules in GCSE and A-level geography so any geography teacher can pick up the lesson plans, curriculum links and presentations and use them with no training; putting careers information into the classroom which careers leads love. We also provide a presentation that anyone working in the built environment can deliver if they find themselves in front of a group of 14-19 year old students.
Plus, just for fun, the CSTT offer an annual competition were students explain how they would improve an area of the built environment near where they live. Head teachers particularly like competitions and for some schools that is all they do, but that is fine, they have started to understand the built environment.
So far so good, now we need your help
How many of you are asked to speak to students, make school visits as part of section 106 activity, or are strong armed into to supporting a careers event by your children’s school, or where you are a school governor?Many companies produce amazing videos, case studies and resources explaining the terrific projects they deliver, or that position the value of geospatial surveyors, for example. To make MEMF better, we always need more links to those resources embedded in the presentations, and in the resources lists we provide to teachers and students.
Similarly, many of your young trainees or professionals have a great story to tell about working in the sector, let’s video or interview them and share those links to inspire young people. How many of you are asked to speak to students, make school visits as part of section 106 activity, or are strong armed into to supporting a careers event by your children’s school, or where you are a school governor?
Introduce MEMF; a personal introduction is worth a 1,000 unsolicited emails and 100% of schools in our survey said they liked it so much they will use it again next year.
MEMF raises the profile of the built environment, there are dozens of more in-depth programmes. The CSTT wants to signpost those in-depth programmes, courses and activities so make sure we know about these opportunities, which are often very local.
The CSTT team is equivalent to 1.2 people yet we have had 600 teachers register for MEMF in over 300 schools. The trouble is that there are 4,178 secondary schools in the UK and no one should miss out on the opportunity to join the sector. So we really need your help to get to every school. Please get in touch and play your part in opening up opportunity in our exciting sector and profession to the next generation of young people.
Terry Watts, CEO, Chartered Surveyors Training Trust
1 Look at www.lmiforall.org.uk/careerometer/ and choose chartered surveyor.