I am a second-year building surveying student, and an unusual one, in that I am aged 35, and from a manufacturing background.
It seems to me that the construction industry is missing am opportunity to recruit well-educated thirtysomethings from manufacturing. My own experience in that sector led to frustration and disappointments over the very limited opportunities within it.

Of course, one would like to recruit managers and professionals from twentysomething graduates, but thirtysomethings would love a chance to show their acquired skills in the manufacturing sector and ally them to their newly acquired knowledge of the construction industry. We already know about supply-chain integration, lean manufacturing, and so on.

There are a lot of manufacturing professionals looking for challenges. I say give them a chance.

Postscript

John Gonnella, via email