Natasha Coles - New Chair of the CIAT Yorkshire Regional Committee

As Natasha Coles MCIAT settles into her new role here at Frank Shaw Associates she tells us a little more about her other regional commitments on the CIAT Yorkshire Regional Committee and her plans for the year ahead.?

?If you’ve been following Natasha on social media, you’ll know that recently she was elected by the Yorkshire Regional Committee as their new Chair. It’s a two-year term that will give Natasha the opportunity to play an active and pivotal role representing Architectural Technology in the region.??

?After playing an active role on the committee over the last decade Natasha tells us about the exciting opportunity that lies ahead and a little about the journey, she hopes to embark upon reflecting on her own time and experiences on the committee which will hopefully put her in good stead to do the region proud.?

“It all started quite innocently just over ten years ago but in all honesty in reflection the path really always felt like it was going to lead this way”.

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From being a student ambassador at Sheffield Hallam University to becoming a newly qualified Architectural Technologist Natasha has always been passionate about supporting Architectural Technologists. She spent her formative years attending regional and national CPD events immersing herself in all things Architecture and the Built Environment. As an avid tweeter at the time Natasha reported widely on industry news and events keeping up to date and spreading the word on current topics opening debate and discussion regionally and nationally with her peers.?

It was here where Natasha discovered her own regional committee and virtually bumped in Mark Wilson MCIAT. Little did she know that this would be the very start of her journey on the committee as Mark invited her along to attend a regional meeting.?

Natasha smiles on reflection as “it was a three-hour long meeting which is still a record to this day by committee standards. It was certainly a reflection of the movement and change that lie ahead”.?

She remembers the early days well. Mark was keen to introduce new blood onto the committee to help support succession planning that was being explored by the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists at the time.?He was very keen to ensure females were well represented in the industry and effectively gave us our voice to be seen and to be heard but importantly that we were represented on our own regional committee.

Skills shortages was high on the agenda and looking at how we scaffold and support the transitional period of new recruits and retirement was and is certainly still a challenge for the industry. We’ve done a great deal of work on this to help minimise impact and disruption to the future of not only the profession but the industry as well.?

?It’s fair to say that on reflection Education stands out as one of Natasha’s biggest contributions to the Regional Committee.?

She’s supported local schools by attending their career events, taking part in workshops, skill building sessions supporting school curriculum and engagement with the wider industry. She’s supported at national industry events like the Big Bang fair supporting STEM and STEAM initiatives further engaging students to help create that all important spark.?

She’s an advocate for Class of Your Own and their instrumental drive to support Design, Engineering and Construction in schools. This feeds into Natasha’s passion for education with a view to actively support and encourage those wishing to know more about construction. She does this by helping students and parents guide their way through the complex avenue of construction, developing portfolios, skills, and confidence to ensure they’re making the right choices and giving them options to explore in pursuing a career in construction to ensure it’s right for them at the very early stages of their career.?

Her work doesn’t stop there as she actively encourages those at college to obtain a solid foundation and grounding in the construction skills that will ensure their success in industry. She is well known for sitting with the students and graduates in practice and out in industry to help guide them on their journey through each stage of their career.?

“Each person’s journey is unique to them. I love getting to know people and their interests, extracting what they’re good at and giving them confidence to explore and grow more towards what they’re passionate about. It builds solid teams, embodies trust, and solidifies the strong network of individuals required to ensure the success of the construction industry.”?

She has been known to be a welcoming face at university level supporting students not only in our region but nationally as well through their university studies. Whether it’s project work, understanding more about the profession or securing their year out placement, first job in practice or even becoming involved and signing up to be a member of CIAT to start on that very important journey to Chartership which is a pinnacle moment in any AT’s career. The members know where she is if they need some support.?

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In industry she can often be found supporting graduates on their route to Chartership, in the early stages reflecting on their work, helping them to scaffold their journey to achieve the skills and knowledge required to practice at industry level. When they’re ready building their portfolio of skills and getting them ready for the interview stage.?

“It’s such a proud moment to look back and see how many people I’ve helped to flourish at different stages in their career”.

Helping individuals through their career is just one aspect of Natasha’s role on the committee and one she largely undertook as the CIAT Yorkshire Regions Education Officer.?

Natasha has also been the Yorkshire Regions aspirATion chair, so she understands the complex levels of developing, supporting, and engaging a committee and its regional members on such a scale. We are one of the biggest regions and we cover a large geographic area. One that’s always a challenge for us but we do our best to move around and encourage engagement. Teams has been instrumental in supporting our CPD coverage and helping us to connect to our regional members whilst also giving us the option to share with the wider regions.?

As part of the Regional Committee, she’s also undertaken the role as Deputy and Regional Councillor so understands the CIAT calendar and events that take place throughout the year. The regions events are often planned a good year in advance, and we are flexible to ensure we move with the times particularly when new legislation comes into place.?

“I’m very lucky to have an incredible committee behind me. A decade of hard work supporting and building trust means that they know they can trust and rely on my judgement just as much as I trust and rely on and value their opinions and honesty. It’s a role I couldn’t do without them and collectively I’m looking forward to what we can achieve together they’re a talented bunch and I feel very proud to have been bestowed the honour of representing them”.?

Natasha has lots of exciting plans and lots of things she’d like to explore she knows two years is not a long time, but she hopes her time is used valuably to continue to help support and drive the profession forward. As most of you will be aware it’s a turbulent time in construction with lots of change ahead so keeping on top of that is paramount.?

“I often get asked how I do it all. But for me it’s a natural extension of my practice they go arm in arm. It’s not a job just something I do. I’m a passionate and just want to do my best to help not only create a built environment in which we love to live but where we love to work as well. When work doesn’t feel like a job you know you’re doing it right”.?

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