Six CIOB members have been shortlisted for the prestigious Construction Youth Trust Duke of Gloucester’s Young Achievers Scheme.
Members have been shortlisted in the Construction Delivery, Surveying and Project Management categories of the award, which are organised by the Construction Youth Trust charity and supported by HRH The Duke of Gloucester.
Now in its fourth year, the scheme recognises exceptional young people who have overcome barriers in their life to achieve a great start in their career.
In the Project Management category three of the seven shortlisted professionals are CIOB members. Two finalists, Jaime Pedrosa and Nazma Uddin, who helped to project manage the delivery of last year’s Serpentine Gallery Pavilion, both work for Rise management consultant.
Pedrosa, who graduated last year after undertaking a fully self-funded distance learning degree in construction management, said he is honoured to be shortlisted and is relishing the opportunity to go up against his colleague. “There are so many great stories in construction, and these awards give a great platform to hear those stories,” he said.
Shortlisted: (l-r from top left) Jagdip Hayer, Jaime Pedrosa, Nochum Dewhurst, Ross Harris, Zeshan Afzal, Nazma Uddin
Nochum Dewhurst, director of Dewhurst Consultants, is the third CIOB member in the running to win the Project Management category. Dewhurst has already set up a charity called Community Construct, which arranges for contractors to carry out free or cost price essential repairs in the homes of disadvantaged people.
One of two members shortlisted in the Surveying category, Jagdip Hayer, is a graduate quantity surveyor for Berkeley Homes in Rugby.
Determined to “make his name in the industry”, Hayer moved to England from India without his parents when he was 11 years old and is now studying for his Masters in Construction Economics and Management.
Ross Harris, a consultant quantity surveyor for Solomon’s Europe, who was the first person in his family to go to university, joins Hayer in this category.
The list is rounded off by BAM Construction’s Zeshan Afzal, a finalist for Construction Delivery, who was the youngest person ever to become a chartered member of the CIOB in Scotland.
Afzal, who is now the Scottish Branch chairman for CIOB Novus and a STEM Ambassador, is feeling positive about his chances of winning and said he wants to “use his achievements to encourage more young people in Scotland to consider working in the construction industry”.
Winners in each of the five categories will be selected from the full shortlist of 36 of the industry’s rising stars, with an overall winner selected from these category winners at a ceremony at the UnderGlobe in London on 19 March.
Each winner will receive a cash prize along with a one-year mentoring programme to enable them to make an even greater impact in their future careers.
Christine Townley, executive director, commented: “These exceptional young people show real drive in developing their own careers and commitment to giving back to their local communities in different ways. It is fantastic that we have this quality of talent within the industry and I am very pleased to be able to celebrate them with our awards.”
