How do you attract the talent of the future to your sector?
Building a strong future talent pipeline starts young – sparking curiosity and excitement in the next generation about the opportunities that your sector offers. That’s why British Land partnered with UrbanPlan UK in 2015 and continue to champion the programme today – inspiring young people to build the future with us. To create vibrant, inclusive and welcoming places for the UK’s diverse businesses and communities, our sector needs diverse people and ideas.
Run by the Urban Land Institute, the highlight of UrbanPlan is an immersive workshop where teams of students – supported by industry volunteers – develop regeneration proposals and pitch them to a panel of experts. Since 2015, over 800 young people living near our places have taken part in UrbanPlan, thanks to British Land’s funding and volunteering support. I highly recommend this interactive model to any business keen to attract the next generation to their sector.
Lifting the lid on the ‘secret world’ of property
Through UrbanPlan workshops, each student takes on a development role – from finance and sustainability to design and town planning. Young people might know about construction workers and estate agents but are always surprised by the huge range of opportunities across the built environment. This hands-on experience is far more powerful than just describing a list of jobs. 98% of students who took part in 2025 are now considering careers in property – up from just 23% before the workshops!
Through UrbanPlan workshops, each student takes on a development role – from finance and sustainability to design and town planning. Young people might know about construction workers and estate agents but are always surprised by the huge range of opportunities across the built environment. This hands-on experience is far more powerful than just describing a list of jobs. 98% of students who took part in 2025 are now considering careers in property – up from just 23% before the workshops!
If you want to inspire future talent to enter your sector, don’t tell them what you do – get them to do it.
UrbanPlan is also helping us to create informed citizens who understand how the places where they live, work and study are developed. This is positive for our engagement with local communities, as we shape our places. Simulating real workplace scenarios, the students need to make sure their regeneration plans are financially viable. This involves crunching numbers, weighing up priorities and collaborating with our mentors – as close to the real world as it gets.
Why should every company offer volunteering?
UrbanPlan is volunteering at its best: purposeful, engaging and impactful. Our colleagues get the chance to share their skills with young people who we want to attract to our sector. It’s inspiring for everyone – and a lot of fun! In 2025, 100% of participating students, volunteers and teachers rated UrbanPlan UK as Excellent or Good.
UrbanPlan is volunteering at its best: purposeful, engaging and impactful. Our colleagues get the chance to share their skills with young people who we want to attract to our sector. It’s inspiring for everyone – and a lot of fun! In 2025, 100% of participating students, volunteers and teachers rated UrbanPlan UK as Excellent or Good.
Many UrbanPlan volunteers choose to return, year after year, and their feedback is consistently fantastic. 100% of this year’s volunteers enjoyed taking part and 96% found it valuable for them and their career. For myself, the workshop was one of my favourite mornings at work. It’s really rewarding to engage with young people in an area where you have skills. I’m proud to work for a company that’s investing in the future and empowering employees to make a real difference in our communities.
Why is reducing inequality important?
With UrbanPlan prioritising schools with high numbers on free school meals, many of the students come from backgrounds that have historically been left out of the property sector. Today, more than half of senior roles across the industry are held by white men from higher socio-economic backgrounds. Only 22% of employees are from lower socio-economic backgrounds, compared to 39% across the UK workforce. Plus, nearly one in three attended independent schools, compared with less than 7% nationally.1 UrbanPlan is an important step in bridging that gap.
We need more diverse voices and backgrounds to join our sector and move into leadership positions.
A fairer future
To boost social mobility, you have to start young, particularly in careers like property which often require specific qualifications. Otherwise, people don’t go on to study and pursue the paths that will open doors. Many of the students I’ve met through our education programmes come from families where no one has gone to university. They’re now imagining different futures for themselves. This is not just shaping a new generation of property professionals – it’s laying the foundations for a fairer future for everyone.
I loved meeting the volunteers as they were helpful and really inspired us. Learning how the built environment we live in is made and thinking about all the factors that have to be taken into consideration while taking on our own job roles was so fun and really informative
Interacting with the students was the absolute best part; they are inspiring and really cared about our roles too and wanted to gain as much knowledge as they could. It’s a very fun, positive and valuable experience – not just for the students, but for us too!
The students felt motivated and inspired. The workshop was incredibly engaging. Fantastic, fast-paced fun. The fact that students stayed behind after the workshop to ask the volunteers more questions speaks volumes!
Explore our 2030 Sustainability Strategy: Greener Spaces, Thriving Places, Responsible Choices: www.britishland.com/sustainability
1 Bridge Group and JLL UK Foundation: Building for the Future: Socio-economic diversity and inclusion in UK Real Estate (2025)