DCS congratulate Mr Anthony Oloyede FRICS on becoming President Elect of the LABC....!!

In seeking to further embellish the quality of existing #BAME excellence across the entire talent pool focussing on [long standing] Members of the DiverseCity Surveyors network, we are taking this opportunity to promote one of our most senior and loyal members. For the record, Mr Oloyede will be the first President of Black origin to hold the prestigious position at the Local Authority Building Control [LABC], and for his appointment to be confirmed during Black History Month (2019), makes for a truly special announcement. Well done Anthony!

All members of the DCS network are offered the privilege to pen an article of interest to them, whilst potentially benefitting DCS members. This article has been submitted for the wider benefit of the DiverseCity Surveyors network and provides the reader with an insight into Mr Anthony Oloyede FRICS.

"......I am Anthony Oloyede BSc (Hons) FRICS, C. Build E FCABE, MFPWS and I am currently the Head of Building Control at Hillingdon Council. I have been in the Building Control profession for twenty three years, and currently I am also the Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Senior Vice President, from December 2019 for the period of one year I will take up the prestigious role of President at the LABC.

This ‘prestigious’ role of LABC President gives me the opportunity to support a charity of my choice, which will be the Construction Youth Trust (www.constructionyouth.org.uk) with whom we will be jointly running a campaign entitled #Building Aspirations.

Construction Youth Trust is a charity whose mission is to inspire and support young people to achieve their full career potential in the construction and built environment sector. Social mobility is at the heart of their work and they prioritise supporting the hardest to reach young people; which are those from low income backgrounds, young people most likely to miss out on opportunities or those that are facing barriers to employment. The Trust is working towards a construction and built environment sector that drives social mobility and delivers social value by inspiring and enabling the diverse young talents of 21st Century Britain to overcome barriers and build better futures.

Through #Building Aspirations I aim to raise awareness of the importance of volunteers from the industry reaching out to young people to inspire them about the world of work. Meaningful employer engagement at an early stage significantly increases a young person’s future career prospects and reduces their chances of becoming unemployed.

I also know that it’s extremely difficult to aspire to a career and an industry where young people never see themselves represented. #Building Aspirations is about addressing industry representation and proving to young people that the industry is open to them, regardless of gender, sexuality, race or class, and help them to discover the incredible breadth of rewarding careers in our sector.

The capacity for social mobility within our industry can be exponential and I want to ensure that young people have the knowledge and opportunities for a career that our industry can provide. It’s important that young people know that there’s no particular shape, size or mould for the professions within the construction industry be it an architect, a quantity surveyor, a brick layer or a building control manager! They, as themselves, fit just perfectly into any role within construction and the built environment.

The aim is to remove the preconceptions and stereotypes that surround this industry. During my year as LABC President and the partnership with the Construction Youth Trust we will facilitate 5,000 meaningful employer encounters between industry volunteers and young people from diverse backgrounds.

Through the #Building Aspirations campaign, progress and success stories will be shared throughout the year. As a DCS member I will be asking you all for your help in highlighting the campaign and asking you to share your own experiences of building aspirations...."

Credits:

Anthony Oloyede, BSc (Hons) FRICS, C. Build E FCABE, MFPWS

LABC Snr Vice President