CIOB NEWS
construction PROFESSIONAL
L-R: Gary Callaghan, Paul Isherwood, Sarah Sharpe and Roger Gillespie, members of the CIOB Northern Ireland Hub committee.
Students from St John the Baptist’s College, Portadown.
FUTURE LEADERS OF NI’S CONSTRUCTION SECTOR WERE INSPIRED BY A WEALTH OF INDUSTRY-LEADING EXPERTS AT A SUCCESSFUL CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF BUILDING (CIOB) EVENT LAST MONTH…
Connecting leaders and aspiring professionals in construction
Members of CIOB’s Northern Ireland Hub held a ‘come at your leisure’ event at Europa Hotel in Belfast, welcoming more than 20 exhibitions by some of the most established companies across the sector. The event, Meet the CIOB - Northern Ireland Hub, was open to both construction professionals and students with a keen interest in the industry. It was a prime opportunity for construction leaders across the country to share their wisdom with young people eyeing a similar career path in the future. Julie Fitzsimmons, CIOBs Member Services and Events Coordinator for Northern Ireland, said, “I am delighted we had such a magnificent turnout for our annual Meet the CIOB event. It was an incredibly engaging day, and I was thrilled to see so many new and familiar faces. “It is well recognised the construction industry is facing a significant labour shortage now, but hosting events like this and welcoming young people who already have an interest in construction means we can highlight the wonderful perks this great
industry has to offer. “Every young person we inspire puts a small dent in the skills crisis, and everyone at CIOB was delighted to see how enthused the young attendees were.” Students learned about the potential routes into the construction industry, what it takes to become a successful construction leader and how CIOB can support young people’s development. Claudio Goncalves, a 14-year-old student at St John the Baptist’s College in Portadown, added, “I enjoyed my day and got to learn about the different opportunities available in the construction industry.” As well as the range of exhibitors, key speakers at the event included Jenna Bell, Business Development Manager at CIOB Ireland; Yvonne Conway, Vice-Chair of the CIOB Northern Ireland Hub and Social Impact Delivery Manager at Woodvale Construction; Ronan O’Neill, Design Manager at Walls Construction; Nouman Qadir, Junior Associate at Quigg Golden; and Joseph Kilroy, Policy & Public Affairs Manager at CIOB Ireland.
And while inspiring the future generation was high on the agenda, the event provided a perfect platform for construction industry leaders across Northern Ireland to network, share ideas and form key partnerships to benefit the sector in the long term. Amy Nolan, Communications and Partnerships Officer at Women’s Tec, Northern Ireland’s largest trainer of women in construction skills, added, “The event was brilliant. This is our second year coming; last year was fabulous as well. “We made great connections. There was a very good mix of companies including insurance companies, social enterprises and construction companies. There are lots of companies we are now looking forward to partnering with.” Meet the CIOB - Northern Ireland Hub is a completely free, annual event hosted by the CIOB Northern Ireland team. This year’s event was sponsored by Hays. You can find out more about becoming a CIOB member by visiting: www.ciob.org/ where-we-are/ireland-northern-ireland
Julie Fitzsimmons, Member Services and Events Coordinator ‑ Northern Ireland T: +44 (0)1344 630 729 - M: +44 (0)7760 164 101 - E: jfitzsimmons@ciob.org.uk www.ciob.org
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