Holly Price: Becoming a CITB Trustee

CITB is on the lookout for two Board Trustees and would particularly welcome applications from individuals with specific knowledge of construction issues in Scotland, and/or financial expertise. Keltbray Training and Development Director, Holly Price, discusses her path to becoming a CITB trustee and the value it can bring towards both the industry and personal progression.

I entered the world of construction aged 17, working for a demolition company. It started out as a temporary summer job in the office doing admin duties, but I’d always been really interested in science at school, which sparked my initial attraction to the sector. One day I watched as some buildings were demolished, which was fascinating. After that moment, I knew straight away that I wanted to be an Explosives Engineer, and you can imagine how thrilled my parents were about that!

My summer job turned into an apprenticeship and after formally qualifying, the first decade  of my career was spent often travelling to wonderfully interesting places, including both North and South America, Dubai, Norway, Finland and Morocco. It was an incredible journey but once I reached my mid-twenties, I wanted a bit of change in my life and my own bed from time to time!

Being a woman and working in demolition meant that I was in a unique position and this led to my first real involvement with CITB. I started writing case studies for them to promote careers in the industry and discovered I really enjoyed working in this area. Gradually I moved into the training and education side of the sector and later began employment with Keltbray.

Keltbray provided close to 75,000 hours of training last year and that’s because we want our people to be the best at what they do. For us to be able to do that, it’s vital that we work with other industry bodies to have an influence over decisions. I didn’t think for a million years I’d get the CITB trustee position but after the role was suggested to me, decided I wanted to be an honest voice for industry.

The work that CITB does is so important. If there wasn’t someone there setting the standard for construction training or setting the benchmark for people to aspire to, I think the industry would be a very different landscape to what it is today. The trustee role enables me to relate that story back to the industry and through doing this, cement the relationship between CITB and the demolition sector in particular.

The trustees are all real people working in the construction sector, many highly skilled and delivering on amazing projects. As a result, CITB receives a true picture of the industry when making decisions and putting forward strategies. Equally as trustees, we can inform industry of all the great funding and training projects CITB is working on.

I’m really proud to tell people that I’m a trustee of CITB. I’ve met some fantastic people and there’s a great cross section of knowledge on the board. It’s also really helped my progression from a more personal perspective; I’ve been on really beneficial training courses and met people who have helped with Keltbray’s business relationships.

If you’re considering applying for a trustee role, you don’t necessarily require a CV full of qualifications. It’s the experience and the knowledge that you have of the industry, that is going to be key to success.

The board meetings are a very honest and open space, and you will have ample opportunity to voice your views, to the people who need to hear them. If you are passionate about people and want to evoke change in the construction sector, I would urge you to apply for a trustee role, as it very quickly provides the chance to do this.

Interested individuals can call Emma Black on: 07393 243229 or visit the Board Trustee vacancy page for further information and how to apply.