CAREERS | CONSTRUCTION YOUTH TRUST Budding into life The Construction Youth Trust aims to give those from marginalised sectors of society the opportunity to grow a career in the building sector. David Blackman finds out how the charity is helping young people fulfill their potential with initiatives such as Budding Builders T he UKs major cities contain some of the countrys most entrenched areas of poverty, many of which sit cheek by jowl with its biggestticket construction projects. Matching young people from these disadvantaged neighbourhoods with the opportunities on their doorsteps is the mission of the Construction Youth Trust (CYT), which was set up by the industry in 1961. Currently, the CYT works mainly in London, north Kent and the Midlands, which contain sufficiently large workflows to create opportunities for potential candidates, says Andrew Garrett, the charitys operations manager. These are areas where there is disadvantage, but also the prospect of a real job at the other end, he adds. One of the main ways the trust tries to help young people is by going into schools, often with representatives from the charitys industry partners, such as contractor Multiplex, which has been involved with the CYT for several years. The trusts schools partnership programme organises activities designed to engage students and get them involved in construction. These include Budding Builders, which is targeted at young people at risk of becoming Neets not in education, employment or training. The proportion of pupils who receive free meals is the gauge used to identify which schools might be most in need of the trusts work. These schools then identify pupils who are in danger of becoming Neets. 10 February 2019 www.cibsejournal.com Book 1.indb 10 12/02/2019 11:38