CIOB graduation ceremonies

Opinion: Get on board

Matthew McKirgan on what construction managers share with school governors

Congratulations to new CIOB chartered members

New members and chartered building companies (CBCs) were among those celebrated at two graduation ceremonies in London on 27 May

In the morning the following graduates received their new status:

l Fellow: Haitham Aref l Members: Andrew Abiona Jeffrey Boateng Adrian Buch Balfour Burrell Gary Cramp Jason Davis Armarjit Dhesi Shane Dodds Evgeni Gradev Gary Hanks James Hay Benjamin Mackie Richard McCann Lindsey Platt Atul Sreedharan Chantal Stagno Navarra Wan Farhani Mark Waller

l CBC: ICW Technical Services

Graduates in the afternoon session: l Members: Paul Beddall Lidia Bosa Gary Brogan Paul Creaven Cosmin David David Desnoes Ashley Dray Alex Eyland Stephen Gilchrist Michelle Glaser Jack Glyn-Jones Dale Hayward Michael Hughes Paul Jakeman Ajesope Jimo Ryan Jordan Narinder Kalsey Ravi Karsan Andrew Kielthy Michael Kleios Manjeave Singh James Lowry Alexander MacFarlane Matt Marinelli Darren McDermott Vanessa McGarvey Joseph McMorrow Ashisho Meggi Kelvin Nagberi Julie Norfield Mark Oakley Eseroghene Odusola-Stevenson John O’Neill Steven Pallister Colin Parker Henry Quartey Keith Reynolds David Rutter Hadeel Safaa Saadoon Craig Scott Daniel Skudder Chris Statham Howard Timms Hernan Vargas Richard Wadley Alexander Walker

l Chartered environmentalist: Alistair Donaghhev l CBC: Reynolds Associates

Graduates celebrate their new status on 27 May When I became a school governor 12 years ago, I was keen to help shape the opportunities available to local young people. I didn’t expect it would help me to secure my first job as a construction manager, or that my career in construction would be so relevant to my role as a governor.

Governors and trustees are responsible for the strategic direction of a school or groups of schools and their decisions impact hundreds, if not thousands of pupils. Like construction managers, they need to develop a vision and strategy, monitor safety and wellbeing, ensure compliance with statutory requirements, take account of stakeholders’ views, oversee the budget and be ready to adapt to stay on track.

New research from the National Governance Association (NGA) has found governing board vacancies are at their highest since 2016. With the typical board consisting of nine or 10 people, the high vacancy rate means some boards may struggle to drive improvement and provide sufficient scrutiny and financial oversight. Overall, the NGA estimates there are currently more than 20,000 vacancies.

I’d encourage construction managers to consider volunteering because our experience and expertise is very relevant and can really benefit a school. In turn, it’s an opportunity to apply your skills in a different sector which is valuable professional development. It’s also a chance to see how fellow governors, from different walks of life, ‘do things’. Most importantly it’s an opportunity to make a positive difference in a community and ensure young people flourish.

To find out more about volunteering as a school governor or trustee visit: www.nga.org. uk/News/Campaigns/Role-ofgovernors-and-trustees.aspx. Matthew McKirgan is a construction manager at Laing O’Rourke and a school governor.