Young professionals’ views of the future

Young Professionals

Three-day rail season tickets to support flexible working, and transport hubs redesigned to encourage safe post-pandemic social interaction. These are among the topics of opinion pieces prepared by young infrastructure professionals in a programme run by the National Infrastructure Commission.

The Commission’s inaugural young professionals panel of 16 members was appointed in April 2018. As the first cohort reaches the end of its term, the Commission has published their opinion pieces under the banner ‘Generational Shift’. 

NIC chair Sir John Armitt said: “Listening carefully to the perspectives of those at earlier stages of their careers is vitally important to any industry, both to challenge outmoded habits and to ensure services are being shaped inclusively to serve the whole of society.

“The panel has offered valuable insights to the Commission across a range of discussions and their latest contributions provide both inspiration and provocation for the sector. I’m very grateful for them for their work.”

The topics are: 

• how Coronavirus could shape the next generation of infrastructure
• shifts in consumer behaviour: make do and mend? 
• crowd-funding local infrastructure 
• experience vs things
• flexible working – working with or against flexible electricity networks? 
• opportunities for infrastructure design to combat loneliness
• could post-pandemic Britain be a breath of fresh air? 
• flexi-ticketing on the railway

Appointments to the next young professionals panel are being finalised. The membership will be announced shortly.