John Boys was very pleased to be able to deliver a talk to Year 10 pupils at Alder Grange School in Rawtenstall during a careers event that took place on Monday 17th July.
In addition to John Boys there were various other speakers taking part from a wide range of sectors and industries. These included two airline pilots, two HGV/Tractor Unit/Logistics trainers, an IT lecturer and consultant, and a film director. A clear objective of the event was to dispel a few myths about employment stereotypes and to highlight how various roles are open to both boys and girls as they consider their future careers. Other speakers included both male and female representatives from the Fire Service, a female chartered surveyor, and a male nurse from the NHS.
After explaining the different aspects of B & E Boys’ business: property investment, commercial and residential development, and construction, John Boys went on to explain the different stages of a typical project and the many agencies and professional roles that are required. These included the likes of Client and Local Authority Council Planners, Environment Agency, Flood Risk Assessor, Ecologist, Archaeologist, and Landscape Architect.
John Boys wanted to make it clear just how varied and interesting these roles can be and show the wide range of career opportunities that the industry has to offer people. He used the Burnley College project as a case study. This was a large-scale project with a £4million budget that involved many complicated factors, including mine workings that required advice to be taken from the National Coal Board.
The talk continued with a description of the roles that are required to develop the design of a building, such as an Architect, Structural Engineer, Building Inspector, and Quantity Surveyor.
On-site roles, including Site Engineer, Site Manager, and Skilled Tradesmen were also explained, as well as the other types of roles that are required: Financial Reporting, Contract Law, and Marketing, Publicity and Promotion.
John Boys then pointed the pupils towards The Chartered Institute of Building publication – the ‘Think Construction’ toolkit – and explained how it was full of content to encourage 14-19 year olds to consider a career in construction. He tried to make it clear to the girls in the audience that, although the construction industry is male-dominated, the number of females joining the industry is on the increase.
This message was continued by Emma Howarth, Senior Surveyor at Bury-based Poole Dick Associates, who also spoke at the event. She demonstrated the range of opportunities open to women in the industry.
B & E Boys are always keen to take part in careers events at local schools. It is important that pupils are given support and advice so that they can choose appropriate careers in the future.