Finding the next generation of construction professionals

Skills gaps are an ongoing issue in the construction industry, which is why they are central to the CIOB Corporate Plan as one of our three priority areas. 

An important step in addressing these gaps is to inspire new industry professionals from an early age, particularly 14 to 19-year-olds who are studying and deciding on their career paths. 

CIOB are passionate about motivating future generations, and many members are already making strides in this area by taking on CIOB construction ambassador roles. They work closely with teachers in schools and colleges to deliver engaging sessions for students and participate in local career fairs. 

For those in the UK & Northern Ireland, members can sign up as a construction ambassador through the STEM Learning platform with more than 225 members already registered. Through this platform, our ambassadors volunteered more than 11,000 hours and reached more than 35,000 participants last year. 

We would love to see these numbers grow and encourage our members in these areas to sign up today. Whilst this platform is only available across the UK & Northern Ireland, there is a lot more activity taking place across the globe through our CIOB hubs and member networks, and we are thankful to our members who are sharing their industry experiences. 

CIOB Think Construction Toolkit 

As devoted as our members are to giving back to the industry they love, CIOB is committed to support our members to do just that. 

We have been working to refresh our CIOB Think Construction Toolkit which is now available for members and teachers across the globe to access for free to support early career session delivery. The toolkit consists of four ready-made lesson plans and accompanying resources, a career in construction presentation template and a playlist of career videos created by some of our CIOB Tomorrow’s Leaders Champions. 

To find out more about our CIOB construction ambassador role and to access our new Think Construction Toolkit, please see here. 

CIOB Aspire 

Whilst we are making progress in supporting our members with resources needed to reach those aged 14-19 years old, we recognise that there is more that we can do to engage with individuals under 18 who can’t yet come into membership. Additionally, there is also a need to support parents, careers advisors and teachers. 

We are delighted to announce CIOB Aspire, a new category aimed at inspiring and supporting those aged 14-19 to take their first steps into the construction industry and towards becoming a CIOB member. 

Development of this new digital space, consisting of a range of online resources aimed at students and influencers, is planned for 2025 with a proposed launch later in the year. Watch this space for further details to come but if you do have any ideas or suggestions for this new category please do get in touch with Sophie Cox, Product Owner Tomorrow’s Leaders.

Tomorrow’s Leaders Student Challenges 

For Student Members studying at HNC, HND, bachelor’s or master’s degree level aged 18+, we are delighted to offer the opportunity to take part in a local Tomorrow’s Leaders Student Challenge. From 2025, these events replace the CIOB Global Student Challenge, enabling increased opportunities for CIOB to connect and engage with students at a local level as well as providing a platform to connect students with employers in their area. 

With no set timeframes to deliver the Tomorrow’s Leaders Student Challenge events, regions can run these events at a suitable time to align with local academic timetables, ensuring our student challenge events are accessible to all. A toolkit has recently been created to support delivery of these events for use by CIOB staff or for universities to run their own events if a regional event is not being held. 

Reach out to your local CIOB staff member if you are either interested in taking part in an event or in hosting an event at your university.

This is an exciting time for CIOB as we continue to build on the work already being achieved through our Tomorrow’s Leaders community and as we begin to build our new CIOB Aspire category.