Tilbury Douglas CEO: ‘I welcome Labour’s plan to break down barriers to opportunity’

You will be hard pressed to find another industry that offers opportunities for all to be the best that they can be, whilst leaving a positive, lasting impact on the built environment.

The built environment is critical to almost everything we do and touch within our society – whether that’s improved schools and hospitals, reducing our carbon footprint, increasing biodiversity, enabling better places to work and live, improving travel experiences or supplying clean water – none of it happens without us all doing what we do.

At the same time, the industry gives back to those working in it. Throughout my career in construction, I have witnessed first-hand the tremendous range of personal development that can be achieved across so many different roles.

As we welcome a new government, it is important to reflect on Labour’s key priorities – one of which is: breaking down barriers to opportunity.

As an industry that has always welcomed those from different walks of life, we are well placed to assist with this ambition.

The government has outlined several initiatives to assist with this aim, including regional improvement teams, establishing Skills England, transforming further education colleges into specialist technical excellence colleges, and replacing the apprenticeship levy with a flexible ‘growth and skills’ levy.

Hopefully, some of this work will help attract more talent into construction as we face skills shortages and lack of diversity.

The government also has ambitions to decarbonise, build more homes and create more green energy.

None of this can be done without a thriving construction industry, making it a great time to get involved to help shape the future.

There has always been a perception that construction is just men in muddy boots. We need to work harder, as a collective, to change this. The industry offers so much more and there is a role to match everyone’s talents and aspirations.

Design management, development and implementation of digital systems, and delivering sustainable projects are just some of the aspects of the building process that may not be visible to those unfamiliar with what we do.

There are many routes into the sector which, again, enables opportunities for all.

These vary from apprenticeship schemes, T-Levels, graduate development programmes tailored to provide technical skills, work placement options including year-out programmes or 12-week summer schemes and, of course, the traditional degree entry route.

We are all different and are looking for different things from our career and respond to different approaches to training. Whatever the learning style and aspirations, there will be a route that suits.

At Tilbury Douglas, we are investing in the next generation with more than 9% of our workforce earning and learning in 2023. This approach seems to work well for both those in training and for the business.

Of course, training and development don’t finish at the end of the apprenticeship or the degree programme, and we are encouraging our people to continue to improve and have their competency recognised through professional accreditations.

To change perceptions and attract talent into the sector, we all need to work hard to engage with the next generation from a much earlier age.

Working with schools and communities to promote STEM subjects and explain the variety of roles available within construction is key.

Therefore, the industry must speak with a unified voice, promoting the fact that without construction, we cannot deliver a carbon-neutral future, more housing, better national infrastructure… the list goes on.

We must clearly communicate that the construction industry offers a dynamic environment where skills, experience and drive pave the way for a successful and fulfilling career with opportunities for everyone.

It is also important to promote the positive work the sector is doing around diversity, inclusion, and equality. The industry is pushing hard and is making progress on its journey – and is committed to continuing to do so.

Perhaps we need to shout louder. An industry funded campaign, anyone?

Construction is a transformative industry that offers a wealth of choices and contributes to a sustainable future. It is more than bricks and mortar — it is about shaping the built environment for the long term.

We must encourage future generations, those furthest from the workforce and talent from other areas of society to embark on a career within the sector – they won’t regret it.

• Paul Gandy is chief executive officer at Tilbury Douglas, senior vice president of the Chartered Institute of Building and serves on the board of Build UK as a contractor director.