Much has been said of the challenges that 2020 posed, but with a new year underway it’s important to not let the many examples of our industry’s resilience, innovation and passion go unrecognised.
One of the areas that has been most drastically affected due to COVID-19 is one which will have the most significant impact on the future of our industry – encouraging more young people into construction.
Wates Construction Framework Director, Steve Spilsbury reflects on the success of the Learning in Lockdown schemes to ensure school pupils still access vital introduction to the industry despite the absence of physical events.
The skills shortage that currently exists in our sector is well documented, with firms relying on conducting school visits, site tours, open days and careers talks to help highlight the diverse opportunities our sector holds. However with schools closing their doors for most of last year, lessons being delivered via laptop and a shutdown on all visitors to sites, our usual armoury of tactics has had to adapt, and like many of our working practices in 2020 – go digital.
Learning in Lockdown
Leading the way has been the Learning in Lockdown initiative, created and delivered by Class of Your Own, Learn Live, The Engineering Development Trust, and SCAPE the leading public procurement authority with which we are proud to work as a framework partner.
The programme involved a week-long virtual work experience event for Year 10 students, challenging them to design a pavillion in the desert which could promote sustainable and eco-friendly living to the residents nearby. The response to this challenge was fantastic; over 30,000 pupils registered an interest and over 300 schools took part, supported by 159 experts from 32 organisations.
Along with our fellow SCAPE framework partners, we advised students and judged the three award categories Best Design, Great Achievement, and Best Written Report which I had the pleasure of judging myself. The level of detail, creativity and understanding that the pupils demonstrated in their reports meant that choosing a winner was tough. Since then I have held mentoring sessions for the winner and runner up, and they truly are a credit to their families and their schools.
Collaborative creativity
The success of this initiative, and witnessing the sheer talent and ingenuity of the students who took part, has given me a great deal of hope for the future of our industry and reaffirmed what I already knew we work best when we work together.
Learning in Lockdown was able to succeed and reach so many students because of the complete collaboration between the multiple contractors, consultants, partners and schools. Even if 2021 does see us able to return to some sort of normality, reaching 300 schools in one week individually would be an impossible task, but we have proved that by combining our expertise and innovation it can be done.
We need to keep this momentum going. While we hope to meet students in person and bring them back onto site in the future, initiatives like Learning in Lockdown must be continued and expanded on year after year, to allow us to reach and educate as many young people as possible.
This brilliant programme has shown us that we can help shape the future of our industry through collaboration, in the same way that we use the principle to shape and deliver our complex projects across the country. I’m incredibly proud to have supported it and look forward to working with SCAPE and my fellow construction peers to deliver more in the future.
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Alan White
How did you get into construction? My Journalism degree got me my first job at Wates in 2010, when I joined the North West’s work-winning team. I soon moved into a business development role, moving around the business to gain experience in Construction, Smartspace and now the Scape team.
What do you enjoy most about your current role? I love speaking to customers. This gives me the chance to learn how the public sector is developing and regenerating our towns and cities, and it’s hugely rewarding to offer solutions to help them achieve this. Meeting new people and developing existing relationships is the best part of my job.
What are you most proud of? Professionally, identifying customer problems and collectively solving them is very fulfilling, for example reducing the proposed cost of a new leisure centre by 25% in six weeks. Personally, I’m not ashamed to say that I’m immensely proud of some of my achievements as a competitive runner in recent years.
Dom Somerville
How did you get into construction? I went to an Architecture fair when I was 14 and was really interested in how buildings were designed. It inspired me to want to become an Architect!
What do you enjoy most about your current role? The variety of work we do across multiple construction sectors from schools, to offices, to leisure centres, to working with the MoD – no 2 weeks are ever the same.
What are you most proud of? Schemes where clients have come to Wates with a specific requirement and need and where we have put together teams to respond and deliver often beyond what that customer ever expected.
Alistair McCallum
How did you get into construction? Simply I answered an advert from a PQS company in Solihull. I wanted a varied career that was neither a desk job nor working outside all the time. I also wanted a career that saw me working with a variety of people. I also like ‘building things’ and seeing something that I’ve had a part in creating.
What do you enjoy most about your current role? I most enjoy the diversity in my role, how every day is different. I can be in an interview one day selling the benefits of Wates and Scape to a customer, to chatting with existing customers to find solutions to complex problems to organising and presenting at careers events in schools and colleges. Also, being part of a team that strives to be a force for good and a catalyst for positive change. Moving forward within a team in the pursuit of excellence is incredibly rewarding, where new, fresh ideas are encouraged and embraced and can make it to strategy or policy within the business.
What are you most proud of? I’m lucky enough to be part of the team that won a place on a Scape regional framework, not once but twice. And in doing so being the enabler to expand the Wates business into the East Midlands. I’m also incredibly proud of being one of the team members who won the interview securing the Aquatics Centre for the commonwealth games. Finally, the work we do in supporting reshaping tomorrow including raising the profile of Social Enterprises to customers, careers events with pupils and tree planting in Markfield as part of planting 15,000 trees by 2021.
Helen Drennan
How did you get into construction? By default! I met a Director from a construction business whilst studying for my CIM Diploma and he convinced me to apply for a vacancy at the company he was working for. That was almost 25 years ago, and I’ve been working in the industry ever since.
What do you enjoy most about your current role? The diversity – every day is different. I also love being customer facing and continually meeting new people.
What are you most proud of? My family. My kids are both pursuing their own career goals now. I hope I’ve managed to inspire them to aim high and give it their all.
Alex Jefferson
How did you get into construction? I wanted a job with variety after finishing school and felt that a career in construction could offer me that. After completing a degree in Civil Engineering, I started on sites in London as a Site Engineer. I have since moved through Project Management, Bid and Pre-construction roles and have certainly found the variety that I was after.
What do you enjoy most about your current role? I enjoy meeting new Clients, being able to offer solutions to their challenges and ultimately seeing a construction project through its whole cycle from inception to completion and occupation by its users.
What are you most proud of? I really enjoy being able to pass by buildings that I was involved with from years ago, see how they have integrated into their surroundings and how they are used now by their users. Some of the buildings are getting older, but I am pleased that I am not quite old enough to have had one of my projects demolished yet!