Last week, the RIBA represented architects alongside leading institutes of the built environment; the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) at both Labour and Conservative Party conferences. Both events discussed “Building the Next Generation: skills, diversity and the built environment” with a panel session taking place at RIBA North in Liverpool for Labour Party conference and an in-conversation event with the Secretary of State for Education in Birmingham for Conservative Party conference.
Labour Party Conference, Liverpool
Chief Executive of the RIBA Alan Vallance chaired a panel of experienced practitioners and MPs representing a wide range of expertise in the built environment in Liverpool on Monday 24th September. Expert practitioners included; Chithra Marsh, Associate Director at Buttress Architects & Chair of Women in Property NW; Marion Ellis, Founder of InspiringCX; Viral Desai, Senior Planning Consultant at Atkins and Claire Handby, Director at Deloitte Real Estate. To provide the perspective of policy makers the panellists were joined by Roberta Blackman-Woods MP, Shadow Minister for Planning and Helen Hayes MP, member of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee.
On skills and the future of the industry, Hayes encouraged the built environment to draw talent from local communities. She argued that a workforce drawn from communities that are at the sharp end of planning and development “can only be a benefit” and that, unless built environment representatives are carrying this message across to schools, the opportunity to inspire a young generation will be lost. This was a view shared with Associate Director of Buttress Architects, Chithra Marsh, who suggested grassroots education as the initial step towards giving young people a “confidence in interests” for later working in the built environment.
On diversity, Claire Handby highlighted that women represent only 1% of those working on construction sites. Helen Hayes MP suggested that diversification should be seen as “an opportunity and not a duty” in order for the sector to thrive and encourage those from all backgrounds to work in the built environment. Other panel members, including Roberta Blackman-Woods MP, Viral Desai, and Marion Ellis, agreed that role models and mentors are important to the industry facilitating change, particularly in encouraging more women and individuals from all backgrounds into working in the built environment.
The panellists highlighted a number of issues facing the future of the built environment and discussed potential ways of tackling these, with industry role models a key theme throughout. The importance of initiatives such as the RIBA Role Models is therefore integral in encouraging future talent in to a career in the built environment sector. The RIBA Role Models campaign highlights the professional journeys of 12 successful architects from different backgrounds with the aim of send a message to others who may share one or more aspects of their identity.
Conservative Party Conference, Birmingham
Secretary of State for Education Damian Hinds MP spoke at the Joint Institutes fringe event on diversity and skills at Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham on Sunday 30th September. Apprenticeships, attracting new talent, and parity of esteem across vocational and technical routes into the sector were among the top issues raised at the reception.
The Secretary of State kicked off his speech by welcoming the valuable contribution of the professions represented by the RIBA, RICS, RTPI and CIOB, and their role in delivering on some of the highest priority issues for the country, such as housing and infrastructure. He noted that these professions were some of the highest skilled, and highest value added for the economy.
Hinds stated that there was a recruitment challenge for the sector and welcomed that industry wanted to diversify the talent pool in order to meet this challenge. In response to later questions about gender and ethnic diversity in the sector, Hinds stated that the role of the education sector was to provide opportunities for all. He highlighted the need for employers and industry to continue to work to improve diversity in the sector.
The Secretary of State highlighted a number of new routes that should improve skills in the sector – T-Levels (which will include a route for construction, to launch in 2020) and apprenticeships. On the latter, Hinds noted that there was still an issue of parity of esteem for traditional academic routes and technical routes, but these technical routes should be encouraged. The RIBA has recently supported the establishment of two apprenticeship routes to qualification in architecture, to begin this year. Coverage of our conversation with the Secretary of State, can be viewed here.
The RIBA, RICS, CIOB and RTPI are continuing to work together to represent the sector and improve skills and diversity in the built environment.
