Why my generation is falling in love with construction

The sun blazes over the hills above Lima. The air smells like dust and paint. Everyone is tired but proud; the kind of pride you can feel before anyone says a word.

I didn’t grow up around construction sites. For me, this world always felt distant until I saw what real accomplishment looks like.

I am standing outside a newly built school with the Gleeds Peru team, part of the Bicentennial Schools Programme, a partnership between the UK and Peru bringing 92 new schools to life. The programme is led by the Peruvian government, with technical assistance provided by both Gleeds and Mace as part of a joint venture agreement. What started as a drawing on a screen is now a place that will change hundreds of children’s lives.

Benjy, one of the project managers, joined only a few months ago but he already gets it. When I return from site, he says with a smile: “Impressive, isn’t it? The scale, the impact…

“The Peru reconstruction programme is not just about buildings; it’s about rebuilding lives. Each project, like the schools or hospitals, represents years of collaboration between designers, engineers and local communities. Even without being here from the start, you can see how far it has come and feel proud to be part of something that makes so much difference.”

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In that moment, I understood something about my generation. We have grown up aware of inequality, climate change and the need for sustainable progress. We have watched economies shift and technology rewrite the rules, but we have also learnt that progress without purpose feels empty.

Maybe that is why so many of us value meaning over money, purpose over prestige, and people over profit. For us, construction is not just about structures; it’s about stories – the kind that strengthen communities and shape futures.

I wanted to understand what keeps people in this industry so motivated, what makes them stay through the long days, tight deadlines, and constant challenges.

When I connected with Suzannah Nichol, chief executive of Build UK on LinkedIn and asked her for advice, she laughed as she recalled her first project, a hotel and golf club. “Nothing teaches you faster than being accountable for every delay and every pound,” she said. “But that’s also where you learn what matters most: people working together to get it done.”

Now she is leading national frameworks and improving how the industry operates, but her reason for doing it hasn’t changed. “Every project comes back to people,” she told me. “If we get that right, everything else follows.”

Her words reinforced what I had been seeing everywhere – that the heart of construction isn’t concrete or spreadsheets, it’s people. What we build shapes how others live, and that’s the real motivation driving this industry forward.

Aled Williams, pro vice-chancellor for innovation and partnerships at the University of the Built Environment and another LinkedIn connection, put it perfectly: “What engages younger people in our sector is knowing that the UK’s built environment stands as a global leader and that their work here can have real social impact beyond our borders.

“We have an incredible heritage of innovation and high professional standards that set us apart internationally, and our young talent takes pride in carrying that forward to tackle global challenges like climate change. There’s a real sense of purpose when they realise they’re not just earning a title or income but helping to build a better future for society.”

Dylan Pritchard, a quantity surveyor at Ward Williams, shared a similar perspective: “What excites me most about working for a B Corp is that profit, people and planet are all treated with equal importance.

“Every decision, from how we manage projects to how we support our teams, is about creating value beyond the bottom line. We are building something that should leave a lasting, positive footprint. Knowing that your work contributes to both commercial success and social impact gives this career a deeper purpose.”

It is easy to forget that British construction is admired around the world. We often focus on the cost, delays or politics, but elsewhere people see innovation, skill and collaboration

That is what I have been seeing too. Whether in Lima, Lisbon or London, people light up when they realise their work actually matters.

It is easy to forget that British construction is admired around the world. We often focus on the cost, delays or politics, but elsewhere people see innovation, skill and collaboration. They see ambition. Maybe we should be prouder of that ourselves.

Jordan Toman, known online as The QS Insider, told me something that really made me think. “Here’s the trend I’m seeing more and more,” he said. “Talented, UK-trained QSs with just a few years’ experience are packing up and heading abroad — to Australia, America, Dubai.

“Big money, big lifestyle, big opportunity. And honestly? Fair play to them. But, with fewer grads entering the profession and so many heading overseas, our skills gap at home is only getting worse.”

He is right. It shows how valued UK-trained professionals are across the world, but also how important it is to remind young people why staying matters – not just for the career opportunities, but for the pride of knowing you are building your own country’s future.

I saw that same energy on site in Peru and Brazil, where local and UK teams worked side by side, sometimes without a shared language but always with a shared purpose. It reminded me that construction is not about borders or titles. It’s about collaboration, people from different backgrounds coming together to solve problems and create something that lasts.

Ele George, founder of Elevate, also said something that stuck with me: “We don’t just shape skylines, we shape lives.”

I have now spent a few months travelling through South America, seeing how buildings transform communities, and I have realised that accomplishment looks the same everywhere

Her work in sustainable housing and retrofit has shown her how deeply buildings affect people’s comfort, health and opportunity. She believes young people are searching for purpose – and construction is full of it.

I may be a newcomer but, for me, that purpose is what makes this industry special. I have now spent a few months travelling through South America, seeing how buildings transform communities, and I have realised that accomplishment looks the same everywhere. It’s in the local bricklayer smiling at a finished wall, and in the engineer checking drawings late at night. It’s the same spark.

Since I started posting about my journey on LinkedIn, I have had CEOs, apprentices and complete strangers reach out with advice or encouragement. That generosity is proof of something bigger: This industry wants to lift people up.

The more people I meet, the clearer it becomes: This industry isn’t just about what we build, it’s about what it builds in us. Maybe that’s why my generation is falling in love with construction. Because behind every building, there is a story worth being part of.

Pride builds purpose. Purpose builds people. And people build everything else.

Oscar Sitwell completed his A levels in 2025 and is currently travelling through South America, volunteering on construction projects before starting a degree apprenticeship in quantity surveying