A CIOB event in Suffolk will aim to challenge perceptions of construction and highlight the breadth of career opportunities available across the built environment.
The Eastern Region Tomorrow’s Leaders event, Building Futures: Careers in Construction, will take place at West Suffolk College’s Extended Reality Lab in Bury St Edmunds on 3 November.
Organised by CIOB Cambridge, the event will focus particularly on less traditional routes into the industry and roles that may not immediately be associated with construction.
Speakers will include John McLellan, an offshore construction manager with renewable energy specialist Cadeler; Conor Nolan, director of Spacion and Building Brum; and Siu Mun Li, director of Constructing Siu-lutions and the Most Influential Woman in Construction 2023–24.
Representatives from Pentaco Construction’s Young Persons Board will also share their experiences and career journeys.
The event will use short presentations and an interactive Q&A session to give attendees an insight into the different routes professionals have taken into the industry, as well as the highs and lows of their careers.
McLellan, for example, began his career as an apprentice and has since spent almost 16 years in the industry, working on projects across the UK and internationally, including in Taiwan, Japan, Singapore and the UAE.
His experience illustrates the increasingly broad range of opportunities available within construction, with offshore construction playing a key role in the delivery of major renewable energy projects.
The event will also give attendees the opportunity to meet employers and industry professionals, with organisations including Pentaco Construction, Vertas Group, Bowmer and Kirkland, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure, Lovell Partnerships, Women in Construction Anglia and Barnes Construction expected to be represented.
The focus on career awareness forms part of CIOB’s wider work to strengthen the construction talent pipeline. Its Tomorrow’s Leaders community is intended to support emerging professionals, develop leadership potential and encourage the uptake of professional standards, while its CIOB Aspire initiative promotes construction as a diverse and modern career choice.
CIOB has said Aspire is designed to address the gap between perceptions of construction among students, parents, teachers and careers advisers and the reality of the range of skilled career pathways available across the sector.
The Suffolk event will therefore combine careers advice with direct access to industry professionals and potential employers, giving attendees the chance to explore routes including apprenticeships, employment and professional careers.
The free event is open to CIOB members, student members and anyone interested in finding out more about careers in the built environment. It runs from 5pm to 7.30pm on 3 November at the XR Extended Reality Lab, West Suffolk College.
The event is being sponsored by Pentaco Construction, Handford Homes and Bowmer + Kirkland.
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