As we come to the end of another hugely successful year for the Trust, we turn our focus toward the opportunities that the New Year brings. 2014 will see a huge number of infrastructure programmes enter the next phase and Construction Youth Trust will continue to champion these exciting projects locally and nationally. Crossrail, Mersey Gateway, Hinkley Point, Thames Tideway Tunnel and of course HS2 to name a few – these are big, bold and occasionally controversial projects which, if done right, represent an opportunity to engage a whole generation of young people with construction;...

Following the release of the Government's Construction 2025 document, Executive Director Christine Townley gives her views on how the sector can place people at the heart of growth.

I was encouraged by the focus on people in Construction 2025 – the Government’s Industrial Strategy - the sector is rich with talent, and ambitions for growth require that talent be recognised and nurtured early on to enable the British Construction Industry to realise the government’s vision.

In many ways, the sector is at a crossroads. It is clear that there is a real...

Executive Director Christine Townley asks how we can work with the social housing sector to address the problem of youth unemployment

At a recent dinner held by the Trust I took the opportunity to discuss the role of the social housing sector in tackling the issues of youth training and employment with prominent members of the social housing sector. It was a chance for me to draw on the experience and expertise of this select group of leaders from across the sector and for them to debate the challenges and best practice in tackling unemployment in some of the UK’s most...

Executive Director Christine Townley discusses sustainability of our workforce within construction.

I was at Ecobuild, the world’s biggest event for sustainable design, construction and the built environment, last week and it occurred to me that we don’t always look at sustainability in its broadest sense.

We focus on environmental sustainability but yet what about the sustainability of our workforce within construction? We know we have an aging workforce and need to nurture young people and so the sustainability of the industry should be a...

Construction Youth Trust works with young offenders, care leavers and soon ex-forces people helping them to find a way to start a new life and career.

We often work with these young people as part of a coherent resettlement programme, working with other agencies to provide a joined up approach to helping them.

However, it is surprising perhaps that this support is not available nationally and that is a postcode lottery as to whether you will receive help. I find it disappointing that at a time when there is clear evidence that young offender programmes actually pay back and...

The construction industry received a boost last week with the Chancellor’s announcement that there would be further investment in infrastructure.

However we need to capitalise on this investment to ensure we create a workforce of tomorrow and address the skills gap which is threatening the industry.

Construction Youth Trust Held a dinner last week, hosted by Pinsent Masons, for key industry figures to discuss how we can address some of these challenges and the consensus was that infrastructure could really be a key catalyst for enabling more young people to come into...

The two organisations came together through Pilotlight, an organisation which matches and manages teams of senior business people with charities.

Initially, the IT Infrastructure team at Lend Lease were tasked with developing a team building exercise based on a scavenger hunt which could also raise money for charity. The team designed the challenge in which teams follow clues and tasks that take them around the City of London and also tested and developed their own team-working skills.

The scavenger hunt was piloted on the Lend Lease annual community day where five teams of...

This week the Ministry of Justice admitted we have shamefully high reoffending rates in the UK with almost 50% reoffending within a year of being released from prison.

This doesn’t surprise me as we have been working with young offenders on their release from Secure Training Centres and Young Offenders Institutions for a while. We see the young people coming out of these institutions without the support they need to gain long term accommodation and employment.

Our Toolkit for Life programme runs training sessions for these young people who have an interest in working...

Considerate Constructors Scheme is helping to raise awareness of the work of the Trust through its registered sites and companies.

We at the Trust are delighted that over the next few months, Monitors from the Scheme will be handing out a leaflet on their visits which will give information on the Trust and how to become more involved.

Organisations can help the Trust in a number of ways:

Donating excess materials to support the Trust's mobile classroom project: they make use of surplus plasterboard, paint, tiles and timber. Providing work placements or jobs for...

Pinsent Masons recently held its fifth annual golf day in aid of Construction Youth Trust and the day was a great success.

Over 30 industry executives joined Pinsent Masons and the Trust at Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey. The attendees were divided into teams to play a game in the morning, and returned back to the Club to enjoy a well-earned lunch.

Some young people who the Trust have recently worked with joined the golfers and took the chance to explain their involvement with the Trust and their aspirations to work within the construction industry. One of the young...