Britain’s up-and-coming engineers, architects, designers and planners will get the chance to have their say over meeting the country’s future infrastructure needs, under a new initiative launched today by Lord Adonis.

The chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission announced plans for a Young Professionals Panel, which would advise him and his fellow Commissioners as they develop the country’s first-ever National Infrastructure Assessment.

He argued that this was a “unique opportunity” for someone in first few years of their career to have real influence over how the UK’s infrastructure is developed over the next three decades.

Lord Adonis said:

“From Isambard Kingdom Brunel to Thomas Telford and Tim Berners-Lee to Ailie MacAdam, this country has produced some of the world’s best innovators – we need to support and inspire the next generation of engineers and designers to have that same level of drive and ambition.

“Our first-ever National Infrastructure Assessment will consider the country’s needs right up to 2050: so who better to get involved than the people looking to design the country’s future bridges and roads, digital networks and energy supplies, and the people most likely to benefit from the decisions we make.

“I am keen that the Commission does not just listen to those whose careers are well established, but also to people at the start of their professional lives with ideas and inspiration about the infrastructure they want to see in their future – so I would urge anyone with a passion for this vital issue to put their names forward for this unique opportunity.”

Commissioner Sadie Morgan said:

“At the heart of what the Commission does is being open to new approaches and ideas. As a young architect I was brimming with creativity and would have jumped at the chance to be part of something like this.

“If you’re an infrastructure evangelist whose enthusiasm and passion needs an outlet, then I urge you to get in touch. This is a great opportunity to make your mark and help us build a legacy across the country for generations to come.”

Boost your career

The National Infrastructure Commission is looking for up to 20 people from across a wide range of disciplines to be on the panel, which will meet formally twice a year as well as having the chance to contribute more widely to this important debate. This could be, for example, by acting as a challenge panel for aspects of the Commission’s work, undertaking its own research on specific issues, or leading events for the organisation.

People from a range of backgrounds can apply. We are interested in applications from designers and data scientists as much as from civil engineers, environmental scientists and surveyors.

Anyone looking to apply will need to submit a short article by 5 January 2018, offering their view on what the UK’s most important infrastructure project will be this century. The Young Professionals Panel will be in place and working by early 2018.

Notes

More details on the Young Professionals Panel is available here.

All members will be paid for their time working on the Panel.