Build your Future – Exploring Careers within the Built Environment
Providing impactful activities and input into local communities has always been important to businesses within the Construction industry.
Building relationships between business and education provides a way for businesses to forge powerful partnerships that will support and influence young people and their influencers to consider choosing a career in this industry.
The ‘Build Your Future’ virtual resources have been developed by key partners across the supply chain within the Built Environment as a response to Covid restrictions challenging the way business and education have previously engaged. This suite of resources are designed to sit alongside a programme of fringe events and activities that are tailored more locally to the needs of business and education.
Caitlin Quinn from Morrison Construction says: “Morrison Construction are keen to continue to engage virtually wherever we can and as we hopefully emerge from lockdown restrictions this year, we look forward to moving back to an even more interactive engagement with education. We know that young people respond positively to our engagement and ‘Build Your Future’ is a great initiative for us to support that will continue to evolve as we recover from covid.”
With contributions from over 40 partners including the Scottish Traditional Building Forum, CITB, Construction Scotland Innovation Centre, Scottish Building Standards, Scottish Futures Trust and Historic Environment Scotland amongst other industry contributors. This has been supported by DYW Forth Valley and Stirling Education STEM Lead Jayne Hamilton to move to a virtual mode of delivery that will support the continued exposure to industry pathways and opportunities alongside the core learning taking place in schools.
Jayne Hamilton, STEM Development Officer for Stirling Council says: “Young people are still facing big choices about which subjects they want to take next year, they are still deciding what the right next step is when they leave school and which sectors the skills they are building will be best utilised and further developed in and it is more important than ever before that we continue to work with business to provide them with insight that will support them to make informed decisions. ‘Build Your Future’ is a suite of resources that provides a structure for educators to engage with, for parents/carers to dip into with their young people and to highlight the range of pathways available within the Built Environment in Scotland.”
It is hoped that this model of delivery will form a virtual core offer for all of Scotland that education and industry can use moving forward as we slowly recover from Covid.
Megan Jardine, Robertson Group says: “Programme’s like ‘Build your Future’ provide an invaluable opportunity for us to collaborate with education to deliver purposeful and meaningful curriculum enhancement for young people who are facing increasing challenges as a result of COVID. Robertson are committed to engaging with education and creating impact for tomorrow’s generation using our local projects as a context for learning.”
Douglas Morrison, Director of Operations and Future Skills at Construction Scotland Innovation Centre says: “Young people have a unique opportunity to transform and modernise the construction industry. Our ability to innovate, create and collaborate is essential to tackle climate change and improve health and wellbeing through our built environment. There are roles for people with all types of skills, backgrounds, and ambitions. There has never been a more exciting time to pursue a career in construction.”
