A celebration of connectivity

It sounds like Walt Disney may not have been the easiest of clients, but certainly an inspirational one. He understood the importance for everyone to feel part of the same team.

Every sector relies on teams of one sort or another to get work done. But working in a team – and to be more specific, teamwork – is a particularly vital yet challenging aspect of construction. We have a famously long tail of SMEs and micro-businesses in our supply chains. Gone are the days of the Master Builder who did everything. We now have teams of specialists in all but the smallest of projects. Getting everybody working in sync is essential.

Pulling together all the various components and industries that make up construction is where the Construction Industry Council shines brightest, and why it rightly deserves the accolades as it celebrates 35 years. Since the mid-80s the CIOB called for the establishment of an organisation that could become a single voice for professionals across the built environment and by the end of that decade the CIC had formed.

We are natural born collaborators, as a professional body we have the most diverse set of professionals in the built environment but even with that breadth there is still a broader view to be had and that is where the CIC and our fellow members come in.

Across the years we have worked together to relentlessly enhance education and training and create greater access to the professions. As part of that overarching team, we have tackled how construction can become more productive, how the industry can build its resilience to corruption and corrupt practices, and how it can become more inclusive.

In the 35 years since the CIC first formed much has changed, digitisation, technology and innovation are gathering pace. But still too many issues have not moved along, the industry continues to find itself out of step for attracting the next generation, we have an overly combative contract process, not enough profit and not enough leaders and the quality of our product must improve. Society needs a strong built environment and a professional construction industry. Orchestrating the various minds and ideas into a cogent voice is just as important now as it was when the CIC was formed. It is this solidifying of the industry where we can truly influence the future.