Workshops were conducted throughout the afternoon of which I attended the two I thought most relevant to myself. The first was the ‘Research
and how it can be used to educate inform and inspire’ which was met with both
enthusiasm and cynicism in my group (myself being the former). Anna Scothern from BRE gave a presentation
about the development of a community platform via mobile apps where customers
can easily engage with aspects such as the Green Deal, BREEAM and receive
information from BRE on a range of other topics. Personally I thought this demonstrated how research can benefit industry and
consumers, although not everyone in the room felt the same questioning where
and how some aspects would work.
The second workshop was with
our very own Katy Harris facilitating as part of the Collaborative Working Champions
Group. A number of workshops around this topic were conducted and at the end
each group presented their discussion results to the room. The workshops centred around the question ‘what
is the industries view of best practice and what modern graduates need to know
and is this being reflected in the current delivery of HE? What are the barriers to improvement?' A broad ranging question which met with a
broad range of diverse answers!
A key theme that emerged
from this workshop and those associated with it was that practical experience is
important. The disappearance of the sandwich
year was a topic which met with great interest in my group. An afterthought that came to me surrounding
this was just how on board with this would industry actually be? Time and resources are scarce especially
after the economic downturn and workforces in some cases are operating at two
thirds of the capacity. Would industry
really be willing to give up time and resources to engage with students?
In my own research on
sustainability I have come up against much resistance from industry. Comments such as “we will get there but it
will be like the health and safety issue, it will take time”. It doesn’t have to, not if industry adopt a proactive
rather than the reactive approach they currently adopt. A thought that struck me during the day was that I was the only student at this event and there only by default through my position at Room4. If industry and universities are to have a true collaboration we need student engagement. The construction industry is a dynamic one and needs dynamic individuals. Talent and innovation is out there in the form of our graduates. The graduate pool is not being utilised to the extent that it should be (or indeed the undergraduate pool). I know from my own research that the construction industry is a resistant one and dislikes change. Change however is key if the sector is ever to move forward.
Positive comments however emerged from the day with Giles Price from Heathrow Airport presenting commenting “Give me a graduate with energy and passion and I'll take 'him' above all others!” Had such a graduate been present in the room might he have landed himself such a position?
My overall experience of the
day was that we still have a long way to go in integrating industry and
academia. Links between the institutions
themselves are well established but are not utilised effectively. In addition, and in my opinion, the voice of
the students is a missing link here. A
question posed by Katy “where are all the bright sparkly things?” is a very
good one and prompted me to write this blog.
A platform where ideas are exchanged and where employers can spot talent
and bring it on board is needed.
Is Social Media the way forward?Social media is a powerful tool and is indeed the very means by which I find myself in my current position as a Trainee Consultant at Room4. I see all the time on Linked in and Twitter students trying to engage with industry about projects they are working on. Employers need to engage more with students on these platforms as it’s where the ‘bright sparkly things’ are. You never know what you might find. It’s where Room4 found me. My background is not in construction but psychology. My research area however has crossed me over into the complex world of construction. Whilst I don’t bring any construction skills to the market I bring people skills, critical thinking along with passion and drive for achieving sustainability in construction (amongst many others!).
Our latest recruit, Frankie,
came in 2 weeks ago fresh out of university and has already assisted our managing
director in delivering a workshop on social media in the construction industry as
well as transforming our own social marketing agenda. (Check out Frankie’s blog
about her experience and the ‘Frankie Challenge’).
Comments from the
collaboration event were tweeted throughout the day generating a good stream of
conversation and food for thought, again highlighting the use of social media.Not yet conversant with the world of social media? Why not attend our free social media and marketing webinar on 16th October? And if you’re Interested in helping with my research you can complete my survey and request info/feedback to me at michelle.brennan@room4.co.uk
.jpg)
