Past President of the CIOB strengthens ties between industry and academia in Australia

“Sometimes to be a top performer, in research or in any endeavour, you need to be passionate, to the point of being almost crazy”, said Past President of the CIOB Ghassan Aouad as he addressed students at RMIT University in Melbourne Victoria.

The event sponsored by RMIT, and organised by Maricel Cavestany from CIOB Australasia and Professor Kerry London FCIOB from RMIT who is also Past President of CIOB Australasia, focussed on enhancing the relationship between industry and academia to improve the student experience.  Highlighting the role NOVUS, the CIOB’s student network, plays in providing networking opportunities and mentoring for students as they embark on a career in construction.

Brendan Sweeney a construction manager from Brookfield Multiplex and Chair of NOVUS said, “The promotion of Novus and having a collaborative relationship between industry and academia will be pivotal in shaping the next generation of construction industry leaders. The successful discussions this week with RMIT followed by a networking event with immediate past President Ghassan Aouad attended by several students is just the beginning in developing a bright future for the students and CIOB in the state of Victoria."

Past President Ghassan Aouad conducted a seminar for RMIT students, staff and CIOB members on leadership and innovation. He said, “Leadership and innovation go hand in hand. Leaders directly influence whether or not an individual or an organisation can innovate. They hold the key to the level of success new ideas have in organisation. I strongly believe NOVUS is a strong pillar of the CIOB and the mechanism by which future leaders of our industry and Institute will be produced.”

RMIT’s own undergraduate construction management program is currently accredited by the CIOB.  The University is looking to add their international and postgraduate offers to their suite of programmes internationally accredited.