Head of Project Controls at Arcadis Middle East, Tim Shelton, explains why sustainable structures and facilities in schools promote greater integration with the community and how Arcadis works collaboratively with schools to support this mission.
It is an exciting time to be part of the construction industry as the process of digital transformation is still in its early stages. The pressure on the industry – particularly in this region where countries like the UAE have a vision to be among the most technologically advanced countries in the world – to mature and become more productive and efficient through embracing digitally-led change is significant and unprecedented.
At Arcadis, we are beginning to witness the demand for new and emerging skillsets that are central to this change that was not apparent in our industry as little as a few years ago. These skillsets are not only required to support the differentiation of our service through the provision of new products powered by new skillsets for our clients but also to enable and drive the change we need to go through as a business in order to stay ahead of the game.
The role of schools and industry is clear – we must work collaboratively. This will drive the education of future leaders required by our industry to allow it to thrive and to succeed in a manner which is expected and frankly deserves. For industry stakeholders like Arcadis, this means identifying the emerging trends in skillset demands and getting into schools at the grass-roots level, so we can assist schools in guiding, motivating, mentoring and preparing students for a career in construction.
Moreover, knowledge-sharing is one of the keys to success in a rapidly changing world. With the UAE Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) focusing heavily on innovative education, educational institutions can no longer work in isolation and need to work alongside industry to develop a new generation of students equipped to use the tools of the future. Simultaneously, companies need to be agile in order to respond to dynamic customer needs and to remain competitive. As a result, we need the skill sets and personalities that can support this.
In the Middle East, we are actively engaging in collaborative partnerships where the focus is on developing the workforce of the future in a practical, vocational and hands-on manner. Recently, we partnered with Class of Your Own, a UK-based not-for-profit organization, and supported them in introducing their ground-breaking Design Engineer Construct! (DEC) curriculum to the Middle East. DEC is heavily STEM and project-based learning focused and it was the first time it has been introduced outside of the UK.
We successfully hosted a four-week work experience programme with a group of high-school students from the Swiss International Scientific School in Dubai, where the students completed a series of modules spanning the full lifecycle of a construction project from design, through to build and operations. Some of the contemporary subjects covered included sustainable design, the application of digital solutions, best-practice procurement, and how to build the benefits case for a project. At the end of the programme, the students worked together to produce a Revit model based on a design they created for an ‘eco-classroom’. The innovative design was founded on the principles of sustainability, flexibility, user experience and modular construction and was entirely driven by the students.
As we begin to witness an industry transition towards Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative design, advanced data analytics and systems-based project delivery, there is a strong industry requirement for hard skills which include process mapping, data analytics, systems development, systems integration and app development. In addition, we view soft skills such as the ability to work in teams and collaborate as a bonus within our business. We constantly look for brave thinkers who do not want to stop learning and are able to simplify complex problems. To develop and nurture such individuals, however, means focusing and creating learning environments that allow STEM subjects to be taught in a contemporary manner.
In the present day and age, creating an environment that actively supports and enables the delivery of a curriculum focused on STEM subjects and vocational learning programs is critical. Going beyond equipping schools with the latest technology, it is just as important to facilitate flexible learning environments that promote teamwork, collaboration and creativity.
We are in a strong position to utilize the school building as an educational resource itself. From innovative and sustainable signage that forms part of the building design, students can actually learn about the process of building the school, key design elements, how the building operates and gain insights into the key processes and technology that supports this. It is even possible to enable learning around how the building performs in a sustainable context and its impact on the environment.
For example, when developing their group design for their “eco-classroom”, one of our DEC work experience students also came up with the idea of the continual collection of energy consumption data from around the school to enable benchmark analysis and consumption trending. We thought this was an excellent idea as it would encourage students to address issues such as data structuring and collection, data analytics, systems integration and putting plans in place to optimize building performance and lessen its impact on the environment through innovative thinking…all things relevant to developing the contemporary skillsets required in our industry and with a focus on sustainability and building design too.
Today we live in a rapidly evolving world, and it has never been more important for institutions to adopt a sustainable approach. Sustainable structures and facilities in schools will enable and promote greater integration with the community, offer better space utilization and higher energy efficiency, promote industry participation and collaboration, creativity and teamwork between students.
Basically, I will be focusing on the importance of a collaborative partnership between educational institutions and the industry and how this knowledge-sharing will add value in the present as well as the future. In addition, I will touch upon the emerging skillsets and how these can be nurtured at a grass-roots level as well as the importance of digital-enabled curriculum supported by industry.
Well versed in best-practice major project and programme delivery, Tim has demonstrable experience in developing the strategy, tools, assurance, governance and protocol in order to ensure value-added and successful outcomes for major real estate and infrastructure clients. In a UK and Middle East based career spanning over 15 years, Tim’s career has transitioned from traditional, consultant-based roles in commercial management to strategic, client-side roles focused on business efficiency and enhanced performance in major asset delivery.
As an advocate of “whole systems thinking” when defining front-end major project and programme delivery strategy, Tim is a firm believer in adopting collaborative and digital delivery approaches as a means of extracting greater value across the integrated supply chain and to ensure that delivery stakeholders are objectively aligned and sufficiently driven by performance and data.
Tim is a passionate advocate and supporter of initiatives that develop the required skillsets and inspire the next generation of AEC industry talent through collaborations with schools, universities and private sector partners.
Twitter
Add a Comment
Please do not post:
Thank you once again for doing your part to keep Edarabia the most trusted education source.