Senior community engagement appointment at Sphere Solutions

Sphere Solutions have announced the appointment of a new Community Engagement Manager, Nicole Barnes, who joins the business to help address the shortage of young people joining the construction industry, while supporting the CSR requirements of the business’ clients.

Sphere are a recruitment business specialising in the construction industry across Wales and the South West of England.  It is estimated that 35,000 new workers are needed each to year to meet the demands of the construction industry, and so the creation of this role is essential to support the future workforce of the industry by encouraging the younger generation to consider a career in construction.

Nicole has worked in this niche field within construction for 15 years and has been a CITB Construction Ambassador since 2008.  Having engaged with thousands of students of all ages, Nicole’s role will include engaging with local schools, promoting the values of the industry, as well as providing practical support such as conducting mock interviews and assisting with CV writing.

Speaking on her appointment with Sphere, Nicole said: “I am delighted to join Sphere, and to help promote the industry I love, as well as being able to support our client base of contractors with their delivery of community benefits and targeted recruitment and training (TR&T). With the current climate being so uncertain due to COVID-19 and the predicted high levels of redundancies, being in this new position means I am able to help not just those who are school leavers but those who have recently lost their job.”

Community engagement and CSR is often challenging for smaller contractors to fully delivery.  The role created by Sphere will enable Nicole to support these smaller contractors in raising their CSR profile in an alternative way.   

James Hughes, Managing Director of Sphere Solutions said: “We are delighted to welcome Nicole to Sphere, in a role we see as being essential to the future of the construction workforce.   As an organisation, one of our key priorities is to address the shortage of young people joining the industry and with Nicole’s experience and enthusiasm, we are certain her work will go a long way towards achieving that.”

Another key focus for the role will involve encouraging more women to take up careers within construction.   

Mr. Hughes concluded: “Nicole is passionate about encouraging more women to take up careers within construction.  Statistically only 11% of the current workforce are females, and only 1% of those are on site operatives. With females making up half of the UK’s population, it is becoming increasingly important that the construction sector – an industry that represents 6.5% of the UK’s economic output – should reflect this statistic at all levels and skill sets”.