Thrive In Construction with Darren Evans
'Thrive in Construction' is the only podcast that delves into the personal journeys of sustainability leaders and innovators in the construction industry across the UK. Our show differentiates by offering unscripted, passion-fueled conversations that go beyond the buzzwords to the heart of what's driving the industry forward. It's tailored for aspiring professionals, seasoned experts, and anyone with a keen interest in the sustainable evolution of construction. We're here at a time when the call for sustainable development is not just a trend, but a societal imperative, empowering listeners to build a career that contributes to a greener future.
Thrive In Construction with Darren Evans
Ep. 50 From Regulations to Sustainability: Construction Insights for 2025
Get ready for an exciting year ahead as we explore the future of construction on the Thrive in Construction podcast! 🚀 In this episode, we’ll be sharing the key topics you can look forward to in 2025, including:
✅ Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
✅ The latest in home energy models
✅ Changes in construction regulations
✅ Inspiring stories from incredible guests
✅ Insights into sustainable goals
✅ Perspectives from guests across the pond in America 🇺🇸
Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out in the industry, this is your go-to podcast for staying ahead of the curve. Don’t miss it—hit Subscribe and turn on notifications to stay updated!
👉 Follow us for more updates and insights:
🌐 Website: https://darren-evans.co.uk/
📲 Socials: https://darrenevans.komi.io/
When I think back in 2024, I'm really grateful that we have had such a growth of the podcast. So we've gone from zero right up to 21,600 currently as I'm recording this. So that was a number I didn't think that we would get to at this time frame. What I'm really interested in understanding from you is who was there that we had on the podcast in 2024 that impacted you? Who is there that you think that we've got some unfinished business with Because we can invite them to come back on? We've had over 50 people in 2024 come onto the podcast Not all of those episodes we have released at the time that you're listening to this, but most of them we have but we've got the ability to bring these people back on. They have all said that they want to come back on. So if you feel that there is some unfinished business with some of the guests and you want us to delve into more detail into a different topic or maybe even the same topic, then please write in to podcast at darren-evanscouk and we can address that, or leave a comment at the bottom of this video and we can address that and look to bring you that person back. The things to look out for in 2025 on the Thriving Construction Podcast is we're going to be doing more CPDs. We're going to be partnering with organisations to help you to understand the manufacturer's perspective on what their products do, in how those products can assist and help. So I think that you'll really enjoy that. We can talk about it from our perspective as sustainability consultants and as energy consultants, and also from the manufacturer's perspective. So we're looking to kind of blend the two worlds together so that you can get a better understanding of how things can work practically in your role either as an architect, as a student, as an M&E designer, developer, whatever discipline it is that you have. So look out for those. We've got quite a few of those planned. Actually, we've also got some really high level guests that are coming on. I'm not going to spoil the names of those planned. Actually, we've also got some really high level guests that are coming on. I'm not going to spoil the names of those guests, but they are in the diary as we are recording it today, and I'm really looking forward to engaging with them in the podcast. So look out for them really high value guests that are coming in.
Speaker 0:The next thing that I want to let you know of is. We are going international. We have got dates booked in 2025 to go across and meet with five people in the United States of America. Some of them are directly connected to the construction industry and some of them are not directly connected to the construction industry, but what we're going to be doing is learning from them around leadership, around behavior change, around how it is that we can help to navigate the human element of the construction process to help you to build the types of buildings that you want to build and be involved in the types of projects that you want to be involved with Huge amount. Around storytelling, around helping messages to convey the passion that we have but then enter into people's hearts and minds. So we're spending less time worrying about legislation and this forcing function that can come through from the government and more time worrying about how it is that we can tell a compelling story so that people want to come on the sustainability journey and that they're excited and enthused about making this happen. So this is some of the things that are already planned for 2025.
Speaker 0:I know that as we get into 2025, things will develop. Things will evolve. We've also got more CPD coming to you from a future home standard and the home energy model that is already in production and already in place, along with some other practical consultancy that we're going to be combining into those podcasts as well to try and help you understand what the future home standard is, how that directly applies, what you'll need to change. We've also got some developers that are going to be included in those conversations so that you can understand how they are approaching it. I'm thinking that this will be particularly useful for those small to medium enterprises that really are going to try to figure out how to navigate this transition through regulation as we get closer to 2050. There will be people really interested to progress on quicker than 2050 and look for a milestone at net zero at 2030. So we're also going to help address that desire and that issue also. We're also going to be looking at regenerative construction methods, approaches and also looking to give you ways to navigate, not just hitting. We are actually building something that's making a positive difference to not just the community and the people that are in the building, but also to the wider environment. So I'm super excited about bringing that to you also. I think that is about it that I want to tell you about 2025. There is a huge list and a huge ambition that we have got to deliver this value for you in 2025.
Speaker 0:The other thing as well that we had done and I didn't plan this at the beginning of 2024, but we've had our first networking event and there's lots of footage that you can see on that networking event the intent of the networking event was really just a small gathering of people that I know trust, have got good relationships with that, have been connected to the podcast or to the sustainability consultancy that I have, and just bring those people together. I was always keen to have this podcast and to have us as an organization so the sustainability consultancy to have a connection with younger people that are interested or that are trying to get into the construction industry and make a difference, and so we had a couple of people come along to that networking event to share their experience as they are on the journey of becoming a construction professional. One of the things that was really highlighted to me really more surprisingly, I think, than what I was expecting. I knew it was there, but it was even more stark and even more compelling.
Speaker 0:It's really difficult for people to finish an apprenticeship and then have that apprenticeship turn into a fully bona fide contractual, full term employment. There's a couple of people that I've spoken to recently that have finished their apprenticeship and the organization that they've done their apprenticeship with have said look, we really love what you've done, we think you've done a great job, but we just simply can't afford to, or we don't have the appetite to, keep you on as an employee. And as I'm thinking about that, there's huge advantages to an organization bringing on an apprentice, especially from the payments that are coming from the government. But as soon as that apprentice finishes, then those incentives stop from the government. It makes it really, really difficult for that apprentice then to feel value. So they've gone through the training process, they've become competent, they've learned, they're feeling good about themselves, and then to sit down then with their employer or that organization that they've done that apprenticeship with to then be told I'm really sorry, we love what you do. It's not you that's the problem, it's us that the problem. It really just nosedives their confidence.
Speaker 0:And so I'm constantly thinking what is it that I can do to try and help that? What is it that I can do to facilitate that? And would it ask you that same question as well, especially if you're a manager or a person of key influence within your organization. What is it that you can do to try and help bridge that gap between a completed apprentice or a person of key influence within your organization? What is it that you can do to try and help bridge that gap between a completed apprentice or a qualified apprentice to someone that has actually got full-time paid employment doing something that they love to do and they see a career path moving on in the construction industry? We want to do more in 2025 to bridge that gap. We want to also do more in 2025 to highlight some of the struggles and also practical applications of overcoming the struggles for younger people. One of the things that's done really, really well for us on our TikTok account has been an episode by Scott Tacky. Scott has broken down what it means to be a QS. He's referenced it to money. He's referenced it to a kit of parts and how money and a kit of parts go together and how someone needs. We're looking to do more of those types of messages so that younger people can really understand and see look, this is how I see myself and this is how I see myself working in the construction industry, making a difference.
Speaker 0:As part of the networking event, jim Coleman from WSP covered off some really stark statistics. Now these statistics are showing and I'll put the slide up here are showing that when young people were spoken to and interviewed, they listed out areas of concern and those areas of concern and impact are connected to the environment and they were asked the question what sector is going to have the most impact on improving the environment that we are in at the moment, not just in the UK but across the world. And as you can see here, these are the results and it's all listed out. But, as you see, on the other side, when asked the question what industry are you going to go into, you can see that the industries like construction are right at the bottom or, arguably, arguably near the bottom, just one up from the bottom of that list. And so it's really clear that people see and know that the construction industry needs to change, that there is that need there, that desire to change is absolutely there.
Speaker 0:But when young people are thinking about where is it that I can go to make an impact, they're not thinking of the construction industry. This needs to change. We just need to tip that upside down. It needs to get higher on the list. Even if we can get it midway, then that's going to make a difference, and so it's easy for me to say look, I'm going to point out to everyone else and government should do this and this organization should do that. But I'm taking responsibility here and I'm going to act in a way that is known to me and within the skill set that I've got and the resources that I've got, to try and affect this change. And so in 2025, it would be great if you could help me to help the industry, to help the younger people see this as a viable way forward, ways you can help.
Speaker 0:You can subscribe, you can share and you can interact with the content that we've got. You can make suggestions of the types of people that you want to see on the podcast. You can even comment and disagree with the way that I'm doing things. I am really, really open for feedback. We just need to get this dialogue going. The reason that this dialogue is so important is because it helps the algorithm to say this is important content. Let me send this out to more people. So then, when you share that with your friends and your colleagues and we start to build this network. It then goes out to the younger generation.
Speaker 0:When I look at the stats on YouTube, the people that are watching the content that we're putting out are generally between the ages of 18 to 35. That's that sweet spot that we need to look at. I think when we start to look at people from the ages of 25 to 30, they're generally choosing their career for the first time. Maybe there's a career shift that's going on between the age of 30 and 35. And so that age bracket is really what I'm looking to try to hit, and you can help me do that by doing those things by subscribing, by sharing, by commenting and also by giving us suggestions of what you would like to see moving forward. The other way is also by engaging with the CPD, sharing the CPD, having a look and sampling and giving us feedback on the CPD.
Speaker 0:I was thinking I've sat in so many CPD sessions where I've just nodded off. There's been someone there that's been clicking on a PowerPoint and it's been super boring. I've just been more interested in having my sandwiches than I have in watching the presentation. And I've been on the other side of that as well, where it's felt as though other people aren't really that engaged, and so what we're looking to do is raise the standard with the CPDs that we're putting out. There are lots of changes that we are making to the CPDs that are going out, and so the picture and the image that's in my mind is that you can do a CPD as you're walking the dog, as you're dropping the children off at school, on your commute into work, and just lots of different areas. You can just listen to it whilst you're going about your business or you can sit down and watch the CPD. We're gonna have some interactive elements, video pictures, lots of different areas coming in to make it more engaging, but I really want to just revolutionize and change the way that CPDs in the industry are presented and just really looking at learning from other industries.
Speaker 0:So really looking forward to 2025, really looking forward to the opportunity of delivering more value. I know that as we get into 2025, that more ideas are going to come, more suggestions are going to come, and so the quality, the impact, is just going to rise and increase. But, as I think about 2024, we have gone on a massive journey, from the conception, which was October 2023, to making the first episode, which was November 2023 to releasing the first episode, which was January 2024, to where we are now, which is the beginning of 2025. So I know that, come through 25 into 2026, this is going to be something really, really significant. It's really important to note that we do not plan to run seasons or do a series because we're not going to do a portion, then stop, have a break and then pick it up again and stop and have a break. We're just gonna continue 52 weeks a year.
Speaker 0:There are gonna be podcasts from the thriving construction. It's almost always going to be me and almost always going to be a guest when legislation comes up. There's going to be me and almost always going to be a guest when legislation comes up. There's going to be a change. We know that that's coming in 2025. We're going to be bringing you practical examples. We're going to be using the equipment that we have, the expertise that we have and the creativity that we have to try and make things easier for you to do. We want to increase your ability. We want to increase your feeling of success and also the impact that you're having. So that's really the focus and the charge for 2025. I know that things will shift.
Speaker 0:2026 is something that we're also starting to think about in the back of our mind. We're thinking about doing podcast takeovers. We're thinking about going to trade shows and being a part of that. We're thinking about who it is that we can bring in to give you deeper clarity and insight in the industry to help you make better decisions, to help you feel more successful and to increase the chances of us actually hitting targets. 2030 is where we're really looking at. I know the government is saying 2050, but really 2030,. If we can get ourselves and the industry to that place where operational carbon is at net zero by 2030, that will be absolutely awesome.
Speaker 0:If you are still listening, I'm going to reward you with a sneak peek and a sneak preview. There is a world first that we are involved in and I'm not exaggerating here at all. This is the first time that a regulated and unregulated energy on a construction site will be at net zero. Now you might be thinking, yeah, yeah, right, we've heard this before, but this is going to be written into contract, is going to be contractually binding. The site that's going to be in the UK, that we're going to be involved with, and I'm not in a position at the moment to reveal the full detail, but that we are going to be able to give you insights, if you follow us, of what we do, how we do what do and how we're going to guarantee that. Regulation is going to be absolutely the floor, but where we're looking at is regulated and unregulated emissions from carbon at net zero. I am so excited to try and share this with you so that you're able to use. You can call it pillage and steal if you want to, but I'm just giving stuff away to enable you to learn from this process that we are going through.
Speaker 0:There are lots and lots of projects out there that claim to be net zero, and you and I know that sometimes the facts and the data on that can be a little bit hazy or can be incorrect, depending on which way you look at it. This project we're going to be working on is a world first and is going to be different than anything else that you and I have seen. I'm so excited. If you're interested in this, please come join us, hit the subscribe button and you will be notified every time we put something onto social media, giving you more insights into the progress that we're making on this project. Super, super happy. On top of that, we will welcome your questions, feedback. There are going to be lots and lots of conversations we're going to be having around this project.
Speaker 0:The other thing as well that's really exciting about this project is it's not just a one, two, three plot scheme that's going on. Over 500 dwellings are going to be operationally net zero. They're going to be net zero from a regulated and an unregulated emissions point of view Over 500. Please come follow us. If this is something that interests you, I am more than happy to share Engage, because we want to make sure we're giving you the best value that we can, and so I'm really looking forward to catching up with you for the rest of this year. This year 2025, I feel in my bones is gonna be a great one, and I'm excited to come on the journey with you. This year 2025, I feel in my bones is going to be a great one, and I'm excited to come on the journey with you.