Tom Haworth, of Westminster University, has won the JCT Student Competition 2016, with his entry, “Work Placements For The Student’s Benefit, Not Their Employer’s”.
The other winning entrants were Peter Dorrell, of Greenwich University, with his video and essay titled “The United Kingdom’s Construction Skill Shortage” and Samuel Kapasa, of RIBA North West, with his visual essay, “TALK: BIM and the Future of Communication Protocol”.
Talking about Tom Haworth’s winning entry, the judging panel commented:
“An original idea, set out in a clear and individual turn of voice. Not only creative, but sets out a real-world practical solution, that we hope the candidate has the opportunity to develop and take forward into the industry”.
Whether using the written word, video, visual graphics or designs – creativity, innovation and providing practical solutions were all hallmarks of winning students’ work in this year’s competition.
The 2016 competition ran from 9th September 2015 to 16th March 2016 with judging taking place on Thursday 26 May. Students from over 40 institutions around the UK entered the competition, continuing the high level of interest and value that the competition generates for construction students.
This year’s competition asked for creative ideas and solutions to address a range of industry topics and issues, including: skills shortages, sustainability, collaboration, BIM, and technology. In recognition of the different learning requirements of courses and the variety of requirements for different disciplines, the options by which students could enter the competition were broadened.
The judging panel for 2016 comprised experts in construction law, education and skills, and the media, and included: Tony Bingham (barrister and arbitrator, 3 Paper Buildings, Temple), Neil Gower (JCT chief executive), Alan Jones (course leader, BSC Building Services Quantity Surveying, University College of Estate Management (UCEM)), Daniel Kemp (features editor, Construction News), and Christine Townley (executive director, Construction Youth Trust).
The JCT Student Competition continues to be very successful throughout the industry, and particularly within the education sector. JCT is committed to improving the understanding and learning of construction contracts and the competition is an important tool to provide support to students, who will be future JCT contract users. A prize of £1000 is awarded to the winner, with prizes of £250 going to the runners-up.
As the competition has become established, it has also evolved over time, recognising the different ways in which construction students learn and the various industry backgrounds and disciplines from which students are drawn.