Glasgow Caledonian University to launch in London with MCA Status

Following a timely introduction by the Mayors Office during September 2019, the tri-partite conversations that have followed between DiverseCity Surveyors and Glasgow Caledonian University, (led by Alicia Clyde) have been both engaging and truly inspirational.

Confirmed by the GCU marketing team yesterday (09.01.20), the London launch event for their emerging offer in Quantity Surveying is due to be held on 23 January 2020, and will feature a huge emphasis on the 'non-traditional' route into the surveying profession, referencing the Apprenticeship route. Of equal importance is their firm desire to reach out to the BAME population who are still hugely under-represented both at grass-roots and senior / Director level. The decision by GCU, to focus on the London market, has been a strategic one, premised upon many of the well documented factors, including access to the multi-cultural talent pool capable of replenishing the naturally evolving and increasingly ageing workforce.

The overarching objective of the GCU offer - led by their BEAM Research Centre - is to tangibly push the boundaries of current market need and further analyse industry trends seeking clarity on the skillsets desired thus proactively seeking to meet future industry demands, particularly as the move towards Modern Methods of Construction 'MMC' begins to manifest, at scale.

One of the key deliverables of the MCA initiative is to foster greater diversity across the industry's workforce, in particular engaging with young black men. This particular group within the BAME talent pool was also targetted at an event held last year and delivered in partnership with Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement, Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard, who also delivered the keynote in conjunction with the Workforce Integration Network, another successful, pan-London, mayoral initiative.

GCU London was one of a select few awarded the Mayor's Construction Academy Quality Mark (MCA) in 2019 which identifies and recognises high-quality construction skills training and education provision in London.

If you wish to attend the event, please confirm at the very latest, by Monday 20th January 2020, via email clearly marked for the attention of: Tres.Hendry@gcu.ac.uk