World Youth Skills Day celebrates the importance of equipping young people with skills for employment and entrepreneurship.
The construction industry is faced with a skills shortage, statistics from CITB show the need for an additional 200,000 staff in the construction industry by 2025. As an industry it’s paramount that we not only focus on young talent programmes in the construction space, but also ensure that the skills gap can be addressed by supplying young workforces with innovative and valuable training.
We’ve been reflecting on our work to support and upskill young talent within our Construction Practice by talking with Teri Preston, Senior Account Executive.
Prior to joining Copper, Teri completed a Project Management apprenticeship and was named Apprentice of the Year at her previous organisation. Since joining Copper, we’ve been supporting Teri with her professional development and providing Teri with the autonomy and opportunities to support successful project delivery whilst enhancing her strategic communication skills as a consultant within Copper.
‘Since joining Copper Consultancy, I’ve been working on a variety of projects within the Construction Practices portfolio to broaden my knowledge across different sectors within the construction space. Being able to work on some of the most exciting construction projects in the UK has allowed me to develop strategic communication skills across the industry whilst futureproofing my career. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a group of motivational people daily, whether that be clients or within Copper, I’ve recognised the importance of having a young talent perspective to aid with the delivery of successful project outcomes.’
‘Having the opportunity to continue my professional development is something which I’m really passionate about, I’m grateful to be working in an organisation which actively supports my ambitions and future career.’
At Copper, we’ve been lucky enough to see first-hand how our clients have been working with young talent to support successful project delivery. For example, our client Murphy Group, who strive to have 10% of employees to be emerging talent and are recruiting over 70 apprentices every year, have been upskilling young people to address the construction skills gap by offering a range of trade and professional apprenticeship schemes.
‘At Murphy, people are at the heart of our business, and true to our value of being ‘One Murphy’ we are committed to creating a collaborative work environment where there are plenty of exciting opportunities for young people to learn and grow in the Murphy family. We’re passionate about equipping young people with skills for employment. Graduates and apprentices are key to our success as a business, bringing fresh ways of thinking, innovative ideas and a real energy to deliver successfully across our projects.’ – Dawn Moore, Group People Director at Murphy Group.
At Copper, we understand how young talent continually adds value to the world of work and provides innovative solutions that produce successful outcomes. It is paramount that businesses continue to provide a pivotal role in supporting young people moving into work after education and we must continue developing and upskilling young talent to address the skills gap in the construction industry.
Whether you join us as an intern or with a few years’ experience, you’ll benefit from training comprising of bespoke skills and behavioural based courses and coaching with experts. If you are keen to learn more about careers at Copper, we’d love to hear from you: careers@copperconsultancy.com
