Construction's image problem is something we unwittingly perpetuate by failing to highlight the huge range of different career disciplines that find a home within the sector. We constantly act against the best interests of our industry, even when we might believe we are doing the right thing. Think about those health and safety talks we deliver to schoolchildren, or the site visits showing the progress of our projects. These are often the two key instances where young people interact with construction - one is to warn of the dangers of building sites while the other reinforces a view that our industry is solely about outdoor working. Through this narrow lens, we risk presenting the entire world of construction to a generation of digitally native workers. I propose that we throw open our offices to bring high-achieving students into a more representative world of modern construction. Showcase the people who predominantly sit at desks, manipulating data, problem solving, developing software and using Al, VR and AR to create the spaces of tomorrow. Bring forward the marketing teams, the multilingual legal, HR and finance functions. This is how we demonstrate to future generations that our industry is a home for the best talent across a multitude of disciplines. Construction delivers a tangible legacy that improves peoples' lives - if we were better at selling that concept to young people, we'd have a chance at changing those entrenched perceptions and boost our career desirability rating.
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