A team of Leeds College of Building (LCB) staff have competed in ‘The Big Construction Diversity Challenge’ for the first time.

The annual event, held at Newark Showground, promotes the importance of equality, diversity, and inclusion in the construction industry today. Twenty teams participated, including prominent industry names such as Axis CLC, Worcester Bosch and Cortexa.

The LCB team’s name, ‘The Foundation of Diversity,’ captured the idea of college being a starting point for students entering the construction industry. The team consisted of seven staff from across departments, including the LCBU University Centre, Student Enrichment, and Partnerships & Skills.

Throughout the day, the team participated in various fun events, including a diversity catwalk, human table football, ‘Hungry Hippos’, a construction-themed quiz, and a diversity dance-off. Despite sitting top of the leaderboard at lunchtime, the second half of the day proved too much for the plucky team, who eventually achieved a respectable midtable finish.

After points were tallied, The Big Construction Diversity Challenge 2025 was eventually won by LCB’s long-time industry partner, BAM Nuttall. The College currently train more than 50 apprentices a year for the company.

Head of Partnerships & Skills at LCB, Rob Smith, said that being part of the day confirmed his belief that “the only way to tackle the shortfall in construction is to make construction an environment for everyone. Our LCB values align perfectly with events like these.”

The Big Construction Diversity Challenge is designed to promote and celebrate the importance of EDI across the construction industry, highlighting the business benefits achieved when companies embrace diversity by engaging teams in a series of fun, physical, practical, and mental team challenges.

Reflecting on the events, Rob said it was an amazing team-building experience: “It was great to go with colleagues who I don’t normally work with and forge a tight bond with by the end of the day. Huge respect to my fellow teammates who dug in, strained, and fought to make our short-handed team [three members fewer than others] actually count!”

LCB is committed to promoting and embracing equality and diversity. Find out more about current job vacancies at https://jobs.lcb.ac.uk/

To find out more about The Big Construction Diversity Challenge visit: www.constructiondiversitychallenge.co.uk