Putting the built environment on the school curriculum

COMMENT It is critical to the survival of the property profession that we continue to attract young people, and particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The importance and role of the built environment in our everyday lives is something that should be taught at a young age, encouraging more people to join our great industry. At The Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors, we have been a great advocate for young people’s education and their route into a surveying or property related career, since our inception in 1977. In 1983, we set up the Chartered Surveyors Training Trust, which became the leading apprenticeship route into chartered surveying. This is now run by the University College of Estate Management, which has developed it tremendously, and more than 1,200 young people have benefited from its support. CSTT has three key aims: to stimulate interest in young people in the built environment; to link people to the right educational pathway; and to support those who need an extra helping hand The WCCS is still heavily involved in the work of the CSTT and is a great supporter of its plans to bring built environment education to the masses, providing young people with a pathway into a property career. The CSTT has developed My Environment My Future, a schools’ outreach programme aimed at GCSE Geography students. Lesson plans are provided free of charge to schools and local employers are identified to enrich the delivery of the existing urban environments module with the use of local case studies, support of competitions, and providing role models. The lesson plans have been developed by teachers. The aim is to make the educational content a default part of the school curriculum, so that many more students gain a far better insight into the importance of the built environment and the career opportunities available. A key attraction for schools is the involvement of employers in acting as mentors and support for the students and teachers. This is considered a far more effective approach than participating in a careers evening or similar events. The focus for CSTT is to provide the programme to schools in areas of social need (a high predominance of free school meals) with less opportunity to progress to join the surveying profession. It is also intended that employers, partners and alumni will promote the programme too. The work CSTT is doing in schools fully complements the work that other organisations are doing in our industry, such as Pathways to Property, RICS, and the Urban Land Institute.The CSTT works with younger students to get them engaged in property, while the other organisations are working with older students to give them a route into work following their higher education. As a livery company, we are helping young people to make the transition from learning to earning – working with a range of organisations to give young people the opportunity to join an apprenticeship programme, or take part in work placements with a range of leading property firms that can lead to a full-time permanent position. We are doing this through our own initiatives and also Building People, a technology platform that connects people to employment opportunities across the built environment, which WCCS is a founding partner of. We want people from all walks of life to have the opportunity to become a surveyor, a property lawyer, a construction worker, or architect. This is achievable, but collaboration across the industry and educational institutions is key. The future success of our industry depends upon it. John Woodman is master of the  Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors To find out more about the My Environment My Future programme, listen to an EG Bricks & Mortar interview with Terry Watts, chief executive of the Chartered Surveyors Training Trust: Picture © Louise Haywood-Schiefer