From continuing professional development (CPD) opportunities to making connections, we round up the benefits.
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The CIHT Emerging Professionals Conference (EPC), this year taking place on 9 April at Aston University, has evolved since it debuted as the Young Professionals Conference in 2018. This year, more than ever, it is a must-attend event for those starting out in the highways and transportation worlds.
“The theme for this year’s conference is making connections and we are bringing together representatives from all UK regions to help get a better understanding of what is happening within CIHT across the UK,” says Bethan France, Head of Membership and Member Services at CIHT. This year, highlights include an expanded exhibition, a packed conference programme and an ‘In conversation’ session where the chair of the Emerging Professionals Network (Rebecca Paramor) and the 2024 Apprentice of the Year (Sharad Kerai) will interview Georgia Yexley, founder of Loud Mobility, a London-based consultancy which aims to achieve an equitable and sustainable transport system.
As well as counting towards their CPD targets, attending the EPC offers delegates the opportunity to learn, network and discover more about the industry. “For many attendees, it’ll be their first time at a conference in the transportation sector, so it is a great opportunity to learn and use new skills, such as networking,” says France. “Led by our President, Glenn Lyons, it’s a star-studded line up of speakers.”
With the name of the conference changing in 2023 to better reflect the audience, CIHT’s definition of an emerging professional is not just confined to the young and, in effect, includes anyone within the first seven years of their highways and transportation career. Indeed, a large proportion of the people entering the industry are doing so mid-career, so inclusivity is key. “The highway sector is incredibly complex and broad,” reasons France. “The EPC is a great opportunity to get an overview and knowledge of what's going on across the whole the sector.”
CIHT President Glenn Lyons will be opening proceedings and running workshop sessions explaining CIHT Climates to conference attendees. Elsewhere, topics covered include HS2, Live Labs 2 and delivering a local authority transport portfolio in 2025. After a networking lunch, the afternoon’s line up has a greater emphasis on professional and career development and career planning help. For example, Claire Stocks, Active Travel Strategy Officer, Greater Manchester Combined Authority will talk about how changing careers can help with transport challenges. Following her, Mark Corbin, Director of Network Resilience, Transport for West Midlands, will explain how to become a people-centric leader.
Allowing – and encouraging – staff to attend the EPC will give them a huge boost and make them feel valued, believes France. “Giving them the opportunity to hear first-hand about what's going on within the sector builds employee engagement and also helps with staff retention,” she says. “It’s important to get your CPD from a variety of places, plus there are huge networking opportunities that could come in useful in one year, five years or even further in the future.”
One of the many highlights will be the awards, which will see the Apprentice of the Year and Emerging Professional of the Year crowned. Paramor, Site Engineer at Morgan Sindall and last year’s winner of the latter award, says the triumph has made a huge impact on her career. “It gave me the chance to contribute to CIHT council meetings and its EDI panel to help drive positive improvement in the industry,” she explains. “I’ve also benefitted from being mentored by the President and past-President of CIHT, who both provided me with invaluable knowledge of the industry, its career paths and professional development towards chartership.”
Book your place for the Emerging Professionals Conference. Tickets are available from £99 + VAT.
Join other savvy professionals just like you at CIHT. We are committed to fulfilling your professional development needs throughout your career
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