We took a group of our Emerging Talent Programme applicants to City Hall to get a taste of working in the built environment sector. Here’s what we heard about ways to help them launch their careers.
Each year, we have seen the number of applications to our Emerging Talent Programme increase, proving the demand for employment programmes and career opportunities for people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
That’s why we hosted a Career Insight Day at City Hall to bridge the gap between the ambition of career-starters and opportunities to start a career in the built environment sector.
With support from the Greater London Authority and Westminster City Council, we welcomed our talented group keen to join the sector for a day built around real insight, practical skills, and meaningful connections. Three barriers consistently come up:
- Limited awareness of career pathways and industry role models
- Gaps in professional confidence, especially around communication
- Difficulty accessing meaningful work experience
We heard from speakers about their career journey, the day-to-day of their current role and practical advice they wish they’d known earlier.
We held the Insight Day for people who had applied for our Emerging Talent Programme, which offers paid work experience to people from ethnic minority backgrounds with public and private sector employers.
Our current Emerging Talent Programme candidates led a skills workshop, including dealing with networking nerves. With increasing pressure on school leavers and graduates to start their careers, our attendees commented how valuable they found the CV workshop.
The day finished with role-playing a regeneration project team for a fictional London borough. This workshop was a clear highlight, giving the group insights into a regeneration project manager, identifying the strengths, risks and challenges of new developments.
This event was a small taste of how we can help new talent join our fascinating industry.
Finding a new business model for the Emerging Talent Programme
After four successful cohorts – with over 70% of graduates securing permanent jobs – we are pausing to develop a new business model for these financially fraught times.
We remain deeply committed to sector diversity and welcome your ideas on how to continue this mission. Contact Nicola Mathers to discuss the opportunities.
Thanks to Philippa Bancroft, Mike Gozo, Bisi Oyekanmi, Mia Lewis, and Naimah Quamie from the Greater London Authority and Ben James from Westminster City Council for their support and involvement in the Insight Day.