Placemaking for the next generation: nurturing young talent

We all know that diversity in the built environment is not where it should be. As an industry, we’ve got a way to go to ensure our teams represent and reflect the wider society and communities we work in.

One of the ways we can tackle this is actively nurturing our own talent, offering direct opportunities to young people interested in pursuing a career in the built environment.

It’s hugely important to be able to share the skills we’ve all developed over the years and pass them onto the next generation of placemakers.

This summer we welcomed Raheim, age 16, for a work experience placement. He shadowed our project management team, taking an active part in some of our live projects, attending design team meetings, site visits and health and safety inspections.

Raheim was a great fit at Muse and we were delighted to offer him an apprenticeship position following his work experience. He’s now working with us four days a week alongside his college course, learning about all aspects of project management.

We were also joined by university student, Anna, who is keen to pursue a graduate scheme in real estate. She joined our development management team in London, getting out and about on site visits, attending meetings and completing planning exercises.

Offering work experience and apprenticeships is a very exciting step for us and we’re looking forward to our journey in discovering the best young talent out there.

We asked Raheim and Anna what they’d say to future work experience students, and they gave some great advice.

Raheim: “Be a sponge and absorb as much information and knowledge as possible. Get stuck in with everything that you can and most importantly don’t be afraid to ask questions.”

Anna: “Ask lots of questions! The team are so happy to answer any questions you have so don’t be afraid to reach out. Also, keep in contact with members of the team afterwards as they will be really happy to help you with any future applications.”