Digital Intelligence
Cadventure Digital Intelligence Conference / Speakers / Alison Watson MBE
Alison Watson MBE
Founder & Chief Executive, Class Of Your Own
Alison Watson MBE is a former land surveyor and the founder and Chief Executive of education consultancy and social enterprise ‘Class Of Your Own’, established in 2009.
She created the innovative “Design Engineer Construct!” (DEC) accredited learning programme for secondary school students, supported by world-leading companies, professional bodies and universities through the ground breaking ‘Adopt A School’ scheme. DEC is delivered in schools throughout the UK and internationally and is embedded in social value strategies that lead to a wide range of technical and professional career opportunities for young people.
Alison represented Youth and Learning on the 2015/7 Construction Industry Training Board Council and led the ‘BIM4Education’ research project which focused on improving technical teaching in the education sector.
Alison was awarded an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in Her Majesty The Queen’s 2018 New Year Honours for services to education.
In 2019, Heriot-Watt University recognised Alison with an Honorary Degree in Engineering “for her immense contribution to the sector and for forging new links between industry, academia and young people.”
She was presented with Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES) President’s Award in 2013 and Richard Carter Prize in 2014. In 2019, Alison was nominated CICES Honorary Fellow and in April 2022, elected Vice President of the Institution. She will take up her presidential role in 2024.
15:30 – 16:00
Inspiring the next generation of construction industry leaders
Alison Watson MBE, Founder & Chief Executive, Class Of Your Own
Mike Clarke, Project Information Management Services Director, Cadventure
Zubran Solaiman, Director of Product Portfolio (Digital Cities), Bentley Systems
Education providers need to adopt new strategies and new ways of thinking in schools to improve the understanding of digital construction among students, preparing them for future careers in the construction industry and driving innovation in the digitalisation of construction practices.
In this session we explore some of these strategies and success stories enabling young people to better understand the rewards of a career in the built environment. Together with the importance of working collaboratively and how industry needs to think differently about school engagement and social impact if we are to overcome the increasing challenges of recruitment and skills.
Our speakers will discuss how a ‘major project’ such as Building Schools (for the Future) became ‘the Eco Classroom’ and Smart Cities became ‘Smart Village’ – now coming full circle to transform the church into a smart eco classroom to inform and educate on village sustainability.
In partnership with
08:45 until 18:30
Wednesday 28 February, 2024.
8 Bishopsgate
London
EC2N 4BQ
