Open Corporate Data and Content Strategist Lauryn Brown reflects on the recent milestones of the NextGen Committee and discusses their plans for future initiatives.

Last Wednesday, the NextGen Committee met to review our recent activities. We started by reflecting on a major milestone within the NextGen conversation, which was our first ever conference! Finding Your Place: 'The skills needed for a better built environment' held on June 24th. This event launched the "Skills for Places" study, which addressed sector skill gaps and fosters crucial conversations about career pathways and sustainable growth. The feedback from the conference was overwhelmingly positive, emphasising the opportunity young professionals had to build strong connections in the built environment sector. Contributions from experienced professionals like Kathryn Firth from ARUP and Robert Kerr from ADAM highlighted the importance of sharing of data, communication, and social value within planning.

The second half of the meeting focused on the 'Night-time Economy' research conducted by Sadiq Khan and the Night Czar, Amy Lamé. Discussions centred on ensuring London thrives both day and night, improving night-time travel and safety, addressing licensing issues for diverse late-night spaces, and advocating for changes in crime prevention guidance. We also emphasised mixed-use developments, increased night-time cultural activities, and drew insights from successful examples. These topics will be further explored at the upcoming London Real Estate Forum LREF.

Looking ahead, our future initiatives include enhancing social value through NLA programmes, developing a career flow chart for young professionals, and conducting surveys to assess qualifications. We are committed to supporting the diverse leaders' pledge, focusing on mentoring and ambassador roles to ensure accountability and foster professional growth within the built environment.

It was lovely to conclude our meeting with the NextGen Summer Party hosted by Gresham. This celebration not only acknowledged the hard work and achievements of the network but also allowed individuals from a range of organisations to connect with one another.