When I think about helping young people to progress their careers my thoughts are drawn towards the England Football team. I believe we can learn so many lessons from the success of that Euro 2020 team. Football may seem a long way from the transportation environment but the way that the young talent stepped up and was allowed to shine is definitely something we can all learn from. When we look into why those young players performed so well, we can see a culture that would help people flourish in any organisation. A mixture or improved coaching, a focus on team, vulnerable and open leadership, a culture where people were encouraged to be themselves and a manager who was willing to take risks and give opportunity to young talent.

In a sector where we all recognise we need to think differently to attract new skills, innovate and retain our talent we all need to work together to ensure that the industry is an attractive place for generation Z to work. With over a quarter of generation Z feeling career progression routes are vital but over half not knowing how they progress we can all do more to attract and retain talented young people who can see a career path to develop and flourish.

And those starting out in their careers have a role to play too. Those young England players seized their opportunity, had the confidence to showcase their skills and stayed true to their values. They didn’t wait to be have their opportunities given to them on a plate but put their heads above the parapet and made it impossible for their managers to forget them.

During this session we will explore the part that young professionals can play to help progress their own careers, take ownership of their own futures as well as how we can all work together to make the industry a more attractive place for young people to work.

This Guest Blog is proudly developed with Kier

Tracey Collins, Talent, Development & Inclusion Manager, Kier Highways will be continuing the conversation at the upcoming CIHT Young Professionals Conference 2021.