Ashley Wheaton began his career outside the university sector and away from the built environment.<\/p>\n
During the 1990s, he spent nine years at Microsoft, helping the company move from classroom training to digital learning. \u201cIt feels like a long time ago now,\u201d the vice chancellor of the freshly-created University of the Built Environment says. \u201cAnd yet in other forms of education, we\u2019re still struggling with that journey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wheaton later worked in corporate learning before being recruited to University of Reading in 2013, as principal of The College of Estate Management (as it was then known). The faculty wanted him to achieve two tasks: \u201cThe first job was digitisation,\u201d he says. \u201cThe second job was to take us on our journey to independence.\u201d Both, he says, were formidable.<\/p>\n
The college had been part of the University of Reading for four decades, but the trustees wanted to break free. The path was long. To gain full university status required securing degree-awarding powers, teaching out existing Reading students, moving out of a 1960s campus building, and navigating government departments and legislation. \u201cDoing it in 12 years is about as quick as you can do it,\u201d Wheaton says.<\/p>\n
The final step was rebranding this year as the University of the Built Environment. The name is intended to capture a new, broader, remit. \u201cWhereas previously we were very much known for surveying and real estate, the ambition is to provide a programme for every professional discipline in the built environment,\u201d Wheaton says. That includes architecture, planning, facilities management and the many technical roles in between.<\/p>\n
Wheaton sees the role of the university as offering flexible entry points, so that people can enter the sector at different stages of their career. \u201cMost importantly, we will have accessible routes underneath that allow you to come in from any entry point and find your way into a career over time,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
The move to independence was about freedom. Reading, he says, had begun to place limits on what courses the college could offer, particularly at postgraduate level. \u201cYou are very much at the mercy of your validating partner,\u201d Wheaton says. \u201cEven that status can be removed at any point.\u201d For the trustees, the choice was stark: accept restrictions or strike out alone. They chose the latter. What followed was a long negotiation, both over academic powers and over tenancy of the Reading campus. \u201cIt was a protracted process,\u201d he says. But the outcome was greater freedom to design courses to match industry demand.<\/p>\n
Wheaton sees accreditation from professional bodies as critical to the reputation of the institution he runs. \u201cWe don\u2019t offer qualifications that are not sanctioned,\u201d he says. Existing partnerships include Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Chartered Institute of Building and the Chartered Association of Building Engineers, with talks under way with the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI). A merger with the London School of Architecture, completed earlier this year, brought in Royal Institute of British Architects accreditation and new pathways into design. The aim, Wheaton says, is to cover the full spread of the built environment sector, while keeping quality standards high.<\/p>\n
About 70% of students are on degree apprenticeships, supported by more than 700 employers. Wheaton argues that the blend of study and work experience produces stronger professionals. \u201cThey want the work experience,\u201d he says. \u201cThat blend of working, studying and applying what you\u2019ve learned builds a much better quality of professional at the end of it.\u201d The university already has almost 3,000 apprentices, most at undergraduate level. Wheaton is pressing government to allow more flexibility, with shorter \u201chop on, hop off\u201d models to attract and retain people. \u201cIt would be great to come in, get the first level of your qualification, become an assistant surveyor or an assistant site supervisor, then maybe go back to study later on,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
The approach extends to greater links with feeder institutions in further education (FE). The university is working with Leeds College of Building and other technical colleges to align provision. Wheaton says the goal is to present clear career pathways that start in FE and progress through higher education. \u201cUltimately, providing routeways that go beyond the level of provision they provide is part of the answer to how we retain people in the industry,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
The digital-first model has been central. Teaching is delivered entirely online, with assignments designed to link to students\u2019 day-to-day roles in industry. The only exception is the London School of Architecture, which continues to run a studio in north London. For most students, though, the experience is virtual. That meant continuity during the Covid-19 pandemic. \u201cFor our students, nothing changed,\u201d Wheaton says. \u201cTheir access to materials and tutors remained identical.\u201d He contrasts that with the difficulties faced by campus-based universities. But he recognises that in areas such as civil engineering, physical labs will eventually be needed. \u201cAt some point you need to go into a structures lab and start bashing bits of concrete,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Future provision is already mapped out. A new planning programme, expected to secure RTPI accreditation, will launch next year. \u201cWe know there is a shortage of planners,\u201d Wheaton says. Renewable energy courses are also in development, alongside carbon assessment modules. \u201cWe really want to play our part in a more sustainable built environment,\u201d he says. But he notes that professional institutes need to evolve. \u201cYou can\u2019t become a chartered sustainability construction manager yet,\u201d he says. \u201cThat needs to come\u201d.<\/p>\n
Wheaton is also thinking about the sector\u2019s long-term capacity. As a member of the Construction Skills Mission Board, he sees the challenge of meeting government targets for housing, retrofit and infrastructure. \u201cThe number of new entrants needed is as many as 170,000 per year,\u201d he says. He worries about what happens if the work pipeline falters. \u201cBuilding the capacity is hard enough,\u201d he says. \u201cThe real issue comes when that capacity is in the system and the work dries up. That is very challenging\u201d.<\/p>\n
Government support for apprenticeships and technical training has improved, he says, but he wants more focus on quality and sustainability. \u201cBuilding one and a half million homes well would be a triumph,\u201d he says. \u201cBuilding one and a half million homes badly would cause all sorts of issues for the future\u201d.<\/p>\n
For now, the institution is staying put in Reading. A former teaching site on the edge of the town is being sold, but the central building remains its base. Wheaton says the time may come to rethink, especially if courses requiring labs are added. \u201cThat will probably be the moment when we\u2019ll think about whether Reading is still our home,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
After a decade of change, Wheaton could be forgiven for easing off. Instead, he insists the work is only just beginning. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot more to do yet,\u201d he says. \u201cWe are nowhere near done\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ashley Wheaton began his career outside the university sector and away from the built environment. During the 1990s, he spent nine years at Microsoft, helping the company move from classroom training to digital learning. \u201cIt feels like a long time ago now,\u201d the vice chancellor of the freshly-created University of the Built Environment says. \u201cAnd …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":129711,"featured_media":519837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[547,570,575],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-529791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buildings","category-interviews","category-skills"],"yoast_head":"\n