Parliamentary Briefing: Developing the foundations of the built environment through schools

We spend most of our lives in the built and natural environment. How it is shaped affects us all. RICS has a renewed vision focusing on sustainability resilience and inclusivity.

An integral and related core tenet of the Future Foundations strategy is about attracting a diverse next generation with individuals from all backgrounds entering the profession – and importantly, inspiring them at an early age.

According to the Construction Skills Network, it is estimated that over 225,000 additional workers will be needed by 2027 to meet the demands of this sector. The latest RICS UK Construction Monitor found that a shortage of general labour (44%) was highlighted as one of the top factors limiting construction activity and holding back the government’s aim of delivering 1.5 million new homes.

This means educating and inspiring future built environment talent and supporting early careers, including making RICS Matrics, our member network for early career professionals, as accessible globally as possible to set the benchmark for built environment engagement.

RICS engagement

RICS has been engaging with relevant stakeholders throughout the last few years to develop a holistic strategy to address concerns around the skills shortage – paying particular attention to those under 18 years old.

We have hosted a range of roundtables including discussions on how to engage with those through Key Stage 3 and 4, and reinvigorating T-levels and maximising opportunities through apprenticeships.

RICS led discussions focusing on how to build the capacity and skills we need to ensure our built and natural environment is equipped to face the future. Our members highlighted the importance surveyors and wider professionals have in delivering the needs of the built environment, from building vitally needed homes, to tackling climate change and the energy crisis, to creating safe, high-quality places.

We have engaged on a regional level with Combined Authorities to discuss their priority areas including early engagement and skills capacity. In Wales, we have coordinated industry engagement as it launched the Built Environment GCSE.

Our response to the Department for Education curriculum and assessment review, echos many of the recommendations below, including an enhanced curriculum to attract those ages 14-16 into the sector and greater collaboration with industry to support the delivery of teaching and engagement.

The challenges

1. Ensuring the curriculum is fit for purpose and prepares young people for a career in the surveying profession. Opportunities should be available via a Built Environment GCSE or Key Stage 4 equivalent in England. This would show a clarity of progression into the vocation pathways that are available in T Levels, apprenticeships, and within higher education.
2. Tackling the shortages of teachers and ensuring that there is adequate provision to educate the educators. This includes making sure those delivering built environment education (who themselves may have little knowledge of the industry) understand the technical nature and opportunities the sector presents to inspire students. Educators should be better coached to leverage Gatsby Benchmark 4 as an opportunity to embed awareness of surveying and built environment careers into the school curriculum, particularly in STEM subjects, Geography and English.
3. Improving the visibility of the profession to enable a diverse range of young people to choose a built environment career earlier, build the prerequisite skills and knowledge, and break the perception of the industry.
4. Increasing partnerships between industry and educational institutions. Sector engagement can unlock a range of opportunities and first-hand knowledge that students would simply never experience in a classroom-only, teacher-led setting. This can set the direction to support and develop long-lasting relationships between students and potential employers.
    

Recommendations for UK Government

1. Progress the introduction of Built Environment GCSE in England or Key Stage 4 equivalent (such as ‘Design Engineer Construct!’) as endorsed by the House of Lords Built Environment Committee to inspire the next generation of surveying professionals.
2. Embedding built environment topics into the existing curriculum as recommended in our response to the Department for Education’s Curriculum and Assessment Review. This will ensure that students gain a broader understanding of the built environment at a formative age and build transferable skills that they can take into a future career. Examples of topics that can be embedded include digital tools, sustainability, climate adaptation, and low-carbon construction into core subjects, especially those aligned with STEM and geography.
3. Placing greater emphasis on T Levels that provide young people with practical skills and access to meaningful work placements with relevant employers and increasing T levels value proposition amongst parents and carers Existing T Levels in areas such as surveying, construction, design, and building services engineering are a strong start, however additional specialisations would benefit the sector, these could include real estate and sustainable construction. T Levels should also emphasise the importance of skills in emerging technologies in the built environment which are critical to the sector including digital tools and methodologies such as data analysis, carbon measuring and Building Information Modelling (BIM).
4. Enhance support for apprenticeships to foster talent in the built environment sector by promoting sector specific apprenticeships and develop apprenticeship programs tailored to the needs of the sector which could meet increasing demands. There should also be additional incentives for apprenticeships across the UK including regions with high unemployment to address regional inequalities including simplifying and streamlining administrative processes to encourage businesses to engage with apprenticeship schemes.
5. Require greater collaboration within the curriculum between teachers, students and industry to ensure the sector is accurately reflected and experience industry exposure is maximised.
    

Case Study: Welsh Built Environment GCSE

Launched in September 2021, the Welsh Built Environment GCSE was developed through collaboration between industry leaders and education providers. It was the first of its kind in the UK, designed to introduce 14-16-year-olds to the built environment and breaking the perception of the traditional construction sector.

The course allows learners to develop:

• Knowledge of theories, concepts, and life cycle stages in the built environment
• Understanding of the interaction between different trades and services
• Appreciation for the design, creation, use, and maintenance of the built environment
• Enquiry skills through exploration of local and global built environments
• Project planning skills, including equipment use
• Practical skills in design and construction
• Evaluation skills for the performance and impact of the built environment
• Knowledge of tools, materials, and processes in designing, constructing, and maintaining the built environment.
  
  

Since its introduction, the course has expanded from fewer than 10 schools to dozens offering it. Feedback from students, teachers, and industry professionals indicates that industry placements, classroom workshops, and support from sector leaders have improved grades. This is especially the case to support lesson planning, as many teachers will be unfamiliar with the broad nature of the built environment and will require industry support.

The course will transition to a Vocational Certificate of Secondary Education (VCSE) to better reflect its vocational nature.

Contact the author

Mahvesh Ibrar
RICS Senior Public Affairs Officer
E: mibrar@rics.org