After 12 years as chairman of the Construction Youth Trust, Rod Bennion, the former Wates chief operating officer, has stepped down from the charity.
Bennion’s period as chairman has seen the Trust transformed into one of the construction industry’s most effective recruiting vehicles, providing career pathways for thousands of disadvantaged youngsters and raising construction’s profile.
He handed over to new chairman Andy Wates of the Wates Group at his final board meeting last month.
Andy Wates, who has been a board member of the Trust for the past nine years, said: “It’s an honour and a privilege to become chairman of the Trust. Rod has done a fantastic job, and he’s left the organisation in very good shape. I’m really looking forward to building on what has been achieved over the past few years.”
Leaving: Rod Bennion…
Wates, a board member at his family firm, is now looking to see where the Trust can become even more effective in leveraging its position as one of the industry’s most respected social organisations.
“Construction is coming out of recession, and there are fresh opportunities for us to create more apprenticeships,” he said. “This has to be a demand-led process, with employers looking to get skilled people into their workforce.
“The key to our strategy is to work with employers and create more courses that lead to real jobs. We’ve done that with Crossrail, and we’re doing that now at Southwark with our training centre, given to us by Southwark Council. We want to do more and more of this so that we get more and more people to take our courses and get into work. Last year, 56% of young people who took our courses got a job. I want to raise that figure to at least 60%.”
Meanwhile, numerous senior industry figures have paid tribute to Bennion’s successful steering of the organisation through a time of great industry change.
… taking over Andy Wates
Mike Bialyj, the Construction Industry Training Board’s director of employer services, said: “During Rod’s stewardship, the Trust has gone from strength to strength. He’s been passionate about providing opportunities for young people to overcome barriers to employment in construction arising from their personal circumstances. As a result, the Trust has helped many, many thousands of people over the years.
“Rod’s drive, commitment and vision has been instrumental in growing the work of the Trust. He has brought on board many new supporters to aid this growth who have bought into his vision and passion.”
Bialyj added: “The CITB has been delighted to work with Rod and to support the sheer energy he brought to his role which inspired the rest of the team at the Trust. We look forward to working with his successor but we will all miss him.”
Christine Townley, the Trust’s executive director, also paid tribute to his chairmanship. “Rod has been deeply instrumental in the growth and development of the Trust over the last 12 years,” she said. “We have changed countless young lives for the better since he took on the challenge of chairman, and it is clear that his passion for providing young people with a second chance is what has kept him loyal to the Trust for so long. I would like to thank Rod for being a pleasure to work with and for his support during my first 10 years at the Trust.”
Each year, the Trust works with about 3,000 people and educates them about the construction industry. Of these, 500-600 are selected for the Trust’s work programmes, 60% of whom stick with the course. About a third of these, around 100 people, then come into the industry full time.
“I am tremendously proud to have played a role in helping people find jobs and careers in our industry,” said Bennion.
Though stepping down from the Trust, Bennion will continue to play a very active role in the industry. He holds three non-executiveships, one at contractor McNicholas, where he’ll soon be introducing a Budding Brunels programme for engineers. And he will continue to chair Home Group housing association.
