Thirty five young people aged 16–17, from across our hubs, took part in a three-day Building Future Skills (BFS) programme delivered with Places for London and its Joint Venture Partners – Barratt London, Helical plc, The Earls Court Development Company, Grainger plc, and Fastned.

Hosted at Places for London’s Palestra House offices in Southwark, with volunteers from Places and its Joint Venture Partners, the programme introduced students to a wide range of careers within the construction and built environment sector such as urban planning, project management and contract management. A series of engaging team challenges and hands-on masterclasses allowed students to explore what some of these roles may look like in practice. These included career networking, an apprenticeships Q&A, building design workshops, presentation skills training and mock interviews.

In order to put their learning into practice, the young people were tasked with preparing a series of sustainable design proposals for the redevelopment of 10 King William Street – a prominent commercial building in the heart of the City of London. They were taken on an in-depth tour of the site, giving them the opportunity to understand the building’s context, history and constraints, first hand. This experience helped them to refine and bring their ideas to life before pitching their final proposals to a panel of industry experts.

This experience allowed the students to network with industry experts and relatable volunteers and gather deep insight into a range of roles to support their next career steps. They found the programme hugely inspiring, and the volunteers present were impressed with their enthusiasm and teamwork.

Construction Youth Trust (CYT) works in local communities across London and North Kent, targeting areas with a high proportion of low-income households and significant construction and regeneration. 

As part of the Educational Engagement Programme, a partnership with Places for London (Transport for London’s wholly owned commercial property company) and its joint venture development partners at Barratt London, The Earls Court Development Company, Grainger plc and Helical, CYT is able to increase awareness and understanding of the built environment and connect young talent to inspiring careers within the sector. This three-year programme is investing in a new generation of young Londoners to become the leaders and professionals of the future.