I want to open up property careers to the people currently shut out

When I’m asked why I’m launching the new social mobility campaigning company Common Ground, I simply say this: people in charge of creating places and communities, including major public building projects, schools, and hospitals, should reflect the communities they serve.

Common Ground launches at a critical time for FE colleges. Our latest polling, commissioned for our launch, reveals a significant disconnect between young people and the property industry. There are significant barriers that exist for those who do not go to university but have the talent and aspiration to get into my industry.

The research, carried out by More in Common, found that half of 18-24 year-olds would either not consider a career in the commercial property and real estate industry or simply do not know enough about it to consider it. I think that is a damning reflection of the fact that many young people are left thinking these jobs are ‘not for them’.

It’s polling also reveals that a majority of people (58 per cent) think it is important that people who work in the commercial property and real estate industry are reflective of broader British society. However, only a third (34 per cent) think that the industry does reflect wider society.

Talent is being locked out

We do need more people from disadvantaged backgrounds to secure successful careers in industries and professions that are notoriously elitist. I did go to university, but came from a family background that was barely even working class (nobody was actually in work, several were in prison), I lived in a council house, was on free school meals and had no role models.  That’s why I champion the idea that young people ‘can’t be what they can’t see’ and I am sure that aspiration is shared by the vast majority of staff and students in FE colleges.

Industries in the built environment talk about inclusion. But I don’t think they tackle the underlying structures that exclude people in the first place: school and college outreach is often tokenistic, funded pathways go to the wrong people, and nobody thinks to explain the rules of the game. The profession over-relies on informal networks and traditional routes. It excludes a huge amount of talent.

What that often means is that our industry’s apprenticeships often don’t actually reach the people they were intended for. Instead, they get taken up by young people who were already on a pathway to university. I have seen that with my own eyes.

Common Ground’s approach leads on career opportunities specifically around disadvantage, not just around non-university pathways. We target the right people from the start, working with FE colleges, schools, membership bodies and community partners. And we avoid open application processes as, quite frankly, these favour the most confident and supported.

We are designing out requirements that exclude the disadvantaged, those who can’t compete financially and those who don’t know the rules of the game. We focus on wraparound support, not just placement. We must make the routes available to those currently locked out.

Opening doors, not ticking boxes

Diversity must mean more than just replacing one gender for another, or ‘token’ hires. It’s about opening up routes to successful careers for people who have, until now, been ignored, excluded or discriminated against, either because they are from the ‘wrong’ class, been in care, disabled, LGBTQ+ or neurodiverse.

This hasn’t come from a single moment. It’s the result of years working in construction and property and seeing the barriers remain firmly in place. Success is still overwhelmingly shaped by who has access to the right education, the right contacts and the financial ability to take unpaid work experience roles or internships.

What has changed for me is the timing. Now that I have stepped down from running LocatED, I have the opportunity to drive this change as a core part of a new business, not just a side hustle as it was in my previous role. It comes at the right time. We face challenges around skills shortages, public sector capacity, climate resilience and the condition of social infrastructure – there is a sense of urgency!