After being heavily hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, the construction industry needed to build itself back up. As part of its drive to mould the construction stars of tomorrow, Edinburgh Napier has partnered with the Daydream Believers project in a bid to boost the skills of future construction workers and lay solid foundations for the industry’s future.

Problem:

The future of engineering and construction needs new talent and new ideas to operate more sustainably.

Solution:

As part of its role in coordinating the HCI Skills Gateway, Edinburgh Napier aims to change the culture of the construction industry. To modernise the construction industry’s workforce it is collaborating with the Daydream Believers project on their new Creative Thinking qualification. Through this programme, Edinburgh Napier will equip those entering construction with the ability and skills to think creatively about solutions to sustainability issues.

Turning Dreams into Reality

Daydream Believers is a collaboration between employers, educators and students which aims to put creativity at the heart of the curriculum. Its website hosts a free resource bank for educators offering various projects. All these projects have been developed with the aim of nurturing creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving techniques for young people from the age of 8 upwards. A qualification in Creative Thinking has also been developed by Daydream Believers and is available in schools and colleges across Scotland.

In 2022, the Daydream Believers programme was named one of the top 100 K12 education innovations in the world by hundrED. It is hoped it will be of benefit to a wide range of sectors, including the construction industry.

Building a Better World

Daydream Believers worked with the Lego Group to run a series of workshops which encouraged young people to reimagine the built environment as a space where communities, nature and businesses can flourish together. As part of their qualification in Creative Thinking the young people were tasked with formulating ideas to better protect the planet from climate change. These were brought together in a leaflet called ‘Building Instructions for A Better World’ which contained ten instructions aimed at policy makers. Some of them included ‘reduce pollution and waste’, ‘protect nature’ and ‘change laws’. The leaflet was then handed out to decision makers and world leaders at the COP 26 summit in Glasgow so the young people’s voices could be heard by those in charge.