DMA

The Considerate Constructors Scheme invited DMA to talk about their work with A Class of Your Own as part of its ‘Spotlight on… the next generation’ campaign, which provides information and resources to help tackle the skills shortage and encourage young people into construction. The Scheme works with contractors and organisations outlining their approaches to this issue and how they have collaborated to attract the next generation.

The ‘Spotlight on… the next generation’ campaign was launched this month and brings together the latest innovative and best practice examples across the industry, with a cross section of organisations telling their story on the efforts they are making to bring young talent into construction. The Scheme sites 62% of young people would consider a job in the construction industry, which is up 14% from last year, proving that many of the great initiatives being carried out are clearly working.

Since our formation in 2007, at DMA we have always taken an interest in encouraging young people into our industry. We saw first-hand that many young people found it almost impossible to get work experience in our sector unless their parents already had a connection to help them in. We also recognised that our commitment to developing the digital skills of the practice is important in an industry that desperately needs the skills that the younger generation of “digital-natives” can provide. Together, these two factors galvanised us into creating our own scheme, which has been running successfully for a number of years, providing over 16 week-long structured placements each year. During these, the students work on a set project, carrying out research, planning and design under the guidance and mentoring of one of our team, and learning to use some fairly sophisticated digital technology in a very short time. This award- winning initiative is, for us, a way of addressing the skills shortage in the construction industry and redressing the diversity balance with the added advantage of providing permanent employees in the long run (five in total so far!).

You can read more on this in the full length case study on the Considerate Constructors Scheme Best Practice Hub here.