CSIC appoints three women leaders to its refreshed board

Seven new board members join the ranks of the Innovation Centre, championing change, diversity and inclusiveness.

In recognition of the need to address board diversity head-on and reflecting the growing appetite for innovation across the industry, Construction Scotland Innovation Centre (CSIC) has appointed three women among seven new additions to its governance board.

Alison Watson MBE, Founder and CEO of Class of Your Own Ltd, Jeanette MacIntyre, Managing Director of Indeglas Ltd and Sara Thiam, Regional Director of the Institution of Civil Engineers, Scotland have been appointed as board members. They join renowned industry expert Mark Farmer, founder of Cast Consultancy and author of ‘Modernise or Die’ – the UK Government Review of the Construction Labour Model in 2016, Dave Philp, Global BIM Consultancy Director at AECOM, Steve Petrie, Business Improvement Lead for Balfour Beatty and Douglas Morrison, STEM and Innovation Lead at City of Glasgow College, bringing the number serving on the board up to 16.

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DEC students present on Samsung stand at BETT show and make new industry connections

Year 13 DEC students from Future Tech Studio presented on the Samsung stand at this year’s BETT Show. The invitation came in recognition of the group’s high ability and enthusiasm for learning about design, engineering and construction.

Samsung were looking for cohorts of students and teachers who could demonstrate how they utilise the latest technology in their lessons; an activity which is intrinsic to the DEC learning programme.

The students demonstrated the flexibility of Samsung touchscreens showing off their Revit skills and the use of multimedia content throughout the design process. Professional, polite and enthusiastic, they had very positive feedback from visitors to the stand and industry experts.

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Design Engineer Construct! included in the Farmer Review

“You can’t cherry pick at it, you need to have a coordinated effort in order to change the industry.”

That’s the message given by Mark Farmer, ‘man on a mission’ and author of The Farmer Review of the UK Construction Labour Model, carried out on behalf of the government’s Construction Leadership Council.

The Construction industry has its challenges, but without doubt, one of its greatest is that of attracting new talent into the industry. Never has the time for joined up thinking been more critical, and having spent the last eight years promoting STEM focused technical and professional careers through the DEC learning programme and associated competitions and events, we very much welcome this report.

Our message to industry remains the same: support schools in the longer term, and in doing so, you’ll inspire teachers, young people AND their parents, and ultimately grow your own talent.

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Turner Townsend makes DEC “REAL” for Marden High students

In early July, Turner Townsend one of our awesome “Adopt a School” partners, took 120 students from Marden High School in North Shields to visit the £42m Urban Science Building (USB) at Newcastle University. There, they discovered the reality of the theory they have been studying for the past 10 months as part of the DEC learning programme.

Turner & Townsend have been supporting teachers and students at Marden High School as they work their way through the accredited DEC curriculum since 2015. We are thrilled that they are creating opportunities, just like this, for children and young people.

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