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Architect Director, Mark Braund, explains how our partnership with a social enterprise supports young talent.
To help build a better, more diverse future for our industry, we continue to engage with organisations committed to encouraging young, talented individuals to pursue a career in the built environment.
Since 2020, we have partnered with a social enterprise, Regeneration Brainery, which connects us with more than 5,000 young people across England, encouraging young people from a variety of backgrounds to consider a career in property and regeneration. We have been fortunate to have engaged with six ‘Brainerys’: Five-day programmes made up of group projects, talks by industry mentors, and office and site visits. I have participated as a mentor in several of the projects and find them hugely rewarding.
Our team in Manchester has welcomed ‘Brainees’ on several occasions, encouraging them to explore a multidisciplinary practice and the breadth of professions involved in the design of buildings and places, along with the types of careers they can pursue.
As we explained to the students, we have long-shown our commitment to adaptive reuse, providing buildings with a new purpose whilst enhancing their social, physical and historical value and relevance. Through this partnership, we can encourage the minds of the future to actively pursue career paths that take unloved buildings, spaces, or communities and transform them into brilliant places to live, work, and enjoy.
By sharing stories of our journeys into the construction sector and describing how we can help shape the environment we all live in, we can support the future of our industry. Inspiring students with our enthusiasm for the work we do, creating great places for people to live, work, and enjoy, and the huge variety of opportunities our industry holds is invaluable, helping reach the widest and most diverse audience.
“BDP’s commitment to supporting Regeneration Brainery means that we can reach more young people each year, boost diversity, combat the lack of effective work experience, and tackle the skills shortage within the design and construction sector. Together, we are inspiring the next generation of young adults to embark on their career path and make a real difference to their futures.”
– Jill Greenwood, Regeneration Brainery