School is meant to be the best days of your life. For Jody Wilkinson, that cliché turned out to be true in a way he never expected.

In this episode of Workplus, host Richard Kirk sits down with Jody Wilkinson, Managing Director at Henry Brothers, whose career in construction started, unintentionally, helping the caretakers maintain his old 1700s school building. What followed was a career spanning quantity surveying in London, technical leadership in consultancy, and now managing director of one of Northern Ireland's leading construction companies.

Jody talks candidly about why he chose quantity surveying for all the wrong reasons, why apprenticeships weren't fashionable when he left school in 1997, and how the industry has been transformed by robotics, 3D printed buildings and AI. He also shares honest, practical advice for anyone thinking about a career in construction, and why the industry still has an image problem it needs to shake off.

Whether you're a parent, teacher, young person exploring careers, or someone who thinks construction is just hard hats and diggers, this episode will change how you see the industry.

In This Episode:
— How a summer job with his school caretakers unintentionally started Jody's career in construction
— Why he chose quantity surveying, and how wrong his expectations turned out to be
— What it was really like starting his career in London during the construction boom of the early 2000s
— The skills that actually make a great quantity surveyor, beyond the maths
— Why apprenticeships weren't an option when he left school, and how that's changed for the better
— How 3D printed concrete buildings and robotics are transforming the construction industry
— Why construction still has an image problem, and what the industry is really made up of today
— What it means to move from consultancy into running a construction company
— His advice to his 16 year old self: don't waste your career chasing money
— What is so good about work, from someone who has spent 26 years building things that last

YouTube Chapters:
00:00 - Opening quote: leaving things a little better than you found them
00:16 - Welcome to Workplus
00:58 - School days and the summer job that started it all
02:06 - The sailing group and the school caretaker job
03:22 - Subjects enjoyed at school and A-levels
04:25 - Choosing quantity surveying, for the wrong reasons
06:15 - Studying in Edinburgh in the last fee-free year
07:31 - Working part-time on a building site during university
09:53 - Graduating into a booming economy and moving to London
10:57 - What a quantity surveyor actually does day to day
12:33 - The real skills that make a great quantity surveyor
13:19 - Advice to his 16 year old self
14:10 - The move from consultancy to Henry Brothers
15:03 - Recent projects: an MOT super centre and AMIC
16:29 - 3D printed concrete buildings
17:25 - Why labour will always matter, even as the industry changes
18:38 - Advice for anyone considering a career in construction
20:37 - Moving into a leadership role as managing director
23:23 - Building a legacy and finding purpose in construction
25:35 - What is so good about work?

Thanks for watching Workplus, the podcast that shines a light on the people doing good work across Northern Ireland.

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#CareerDevelopment #Construction #NorthernIrelandCareers #WorkplusPodcast #Apprenticeships #Engineering #YouthEmployment #Innovation

🎧 Thanks for listening to Workplus, the podcast that brings real jobs into the light.
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What's the wrong question to ask about AI and jobs? "Are the machines going to take all our jobs?" Gareth Hetherington has a better one.

In this episode of Workplus, host Richard Kirk sits down with Gareth Hetherington MBE, Director of the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre, one of Northern Ireland's leading economists and the person behind some of the most important research on skills, demographics and the future of work in the region.

Gareth worked three jobs the summer after his GCSEs, fell in love with economics at A-level, built a career across the Northern Ireland Audit Office and PwC, and has spent the last decade producing research that has shaped how politicians, employers and universities think about skills and education pathways. His verdict on AI? It won't take your job. But someone using AI will.

Whether you're a parent, teacher, young person choosing your next step, or an employer trying to understand where the workforce is heading, this episode is packed with evidence-based insight delivered in a way that is anything but dry.

In This Episode:
— How working seven days a week at sixteen, in a bar, a landscape garden and a mayonnaise factory, shaped Gareth's career thinking
— Why economics was the first subject he ever fell in love with
— How a temporary civil service job led to a career in economic policy
— What the Northern Ireland Skills Barometer actually found, and why it matters for young people today
— The demographic challenge nobody is talking about: fewer young people entering the workforce
— Why the Saturday job is more important than ever for developing the skills employers actually want
— What transversal skills are and why employers now value them as much as technical qualifications
— The real question to ask about AI: not whether it will take jobs, but whether it will arrive quickly enough to fill the ones we don't have people for
— Why AI won't take your job, but someone using AI will
— What work gives Gareth purpose, and why he is not sure he ever wants to retire

YouTube Chapters:
00:00 - Opening quote: AI won't take your job, but someone using AI will
00:23 - Welcome to Workplus
01:02 - Working seven days a week at sixteen
03:33 - What those early jobs actually taught him
05:00 - Falling in love with economics at A-level
06:30 - Choosing a degree and going to Newcastle
08:11 - University and the start of a career path
09:00 - A temporary civil service job that changed everything
11:00 - The Northern Ireland Audit Office and becoming a qualified accountant
13:13 - Developing the audit nose
14:30 - Moving to PwC and economic policy work
16:25 - Joining Ulster University Economic Policy Centre
18:01 - What the research says to young people and parents today
19:00 - The Skills Barometer and the missing middle
22:17 - The demographic challenge: fewer young people in the workforce
25:00 - Transversal skills and what employers really want
27:24 - Why the Saturday job still matters
30:02 - People buy people, not products
30:56 - AI and the wrong question
32:20 - The machines won't come quickly enough
34:01 - AI optimism and productivity
38:39 - What happens when one door closes
41:57 - What is so good about work?

Thanks for watching Workplus, the podcast that shines a light on the people doing good work across Northern Ireland.

Find more stories, resources, and tools to help guide the next generation at workplus.app

Know someone exploring their career options? Share this with a parent, teacher, or future leader.

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#CareerDevelopment #AI #NorthernIrelandCareers #WorkplusPodcast #Economics #FutureOfWork #Apprenticeships #YouthEmployment #Skills

🎧 Thanks for listening to Workplus, the podcast that brings real jobs into the light.
🔗 Find more stories, tools, and guides to help young people and returners explore meaningful careers at workplus.app
📩 Know someone who would find this helpful? Share it with a parent, teacher, or future changemaker.
🎙 Follow so you never miss a story.

🎧 Thanks for listening to Workplus, the podcast that brings real jobs into the light.

🔗 Find more stories, tools, and guides to help young people and returners explore meaningful careers at workplus.app

📩 Know someone who would find this helpful? Share it with a parent, teacher, or future changemaker.

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What's the best piece of advice Gavin Annon has ever been given? Regret is always harder to deal with than failure. Everything else follows from that.

In this episode of Workplus, host Richard Kirk sits down with Gavin Annon, Chief Sales Officer at Mount Charles Group, one of Northern Ireland's top ten employers with over three and a half thousand people across the island of Ireland. Mount Charles started thirty-eight years ago when Gavin's dad was turned down from the police for being a quarter of an inch too short. What followed was a journey from contract catering with no office, no money and no name, to one of the biggest companies in Ireland.

Gavin's own path was anything but linear. Business information technology at Queen's, a post-grad in chartered marketing, a stint as a professional DJ, and ten years with Tesco before the time felt right to join the family business. His advice to anyone trying to figure out what comes next is simple: don't be afraid of something that isn't normal, fail fast, try hard, and don't rush to find your path.

Whether you're a parent, teacher, young person, or budding entrepreneur, this episode is packed with honest, hard-won insight from someone who has seen both sides of the risk.

In This Episode:
— How a quarter of an inch changed the course of one family's story and created a business empire
— Why Gavin studied business IT, became a professional DJ and spent ten years at Tesco before joining Mount Charles
— Why he'd never recommend a rigid career plan to a sixteen year old
— What makes a great entrepreneur, and what Northern Ireland gets right about taking risks
— The five service lines of Mount Charles and how cleaning started because a cleaner didn't turn up one day
— Why hospitality is never just a stepping stone job
— The casual events team of 1,200 people and how it helps young people try before they buy
— Why Mount Charles has a fully dedicated learning and development team
— His advice to parents: let them breathe, give them the spark, and be there to catch them
— What is so good about work, from someone who has built a career on purpose

YouTube Chapters:
00:00 - Opening quote: regret is harder than failure
00:21 - Welcome to Workplus
01:00 - How Mount Charles started 38 years ago
02:19 - Gavin's career path: Queen's, DJ, Tesco and beyond
04:11 - Choosing business information technology at Queen's
05:24 - Advice for sixteen year olds: don't be afraid of something that isn't normal
06:57 - What makes a great entrepreneur
08:26 - What Mount Charles looks like today
10:45 - Jobs people don't know exist at Mount Charles
12:43 - Opportunities for young people at sixteen
14:23 - Why hospitality is never just a stepping stone
15:45 - The workforce challenge and how Mount Charles responds
16:02 - Learning, development and leadership academies
18:17 - Advice to parents and teachers
20:29 - Let them find their path
23:23 - What is so good about work?

Thanks for watching Workplus, the podcast that shines a light on the people doing good work across Northern Ireland.

Find more stories, resources, and tools to help guide the next generation at workplus.app

Know someone exploring their career options? Share this with a parent, teacher, or future leader.

Subscribe so you never miss a story
.
#careerdevelopment #entrepreneurship #NorthernIrelandCareers #WorkplusPodcast #hospitality #youthemployment #apprenticeships

🎧 Thanks for listening to Workplus, the podcast that brings real jobs into the light.

🔗 Find more stories, tools, and guides to help young people and returners explore meaningful careers at workplus.app

📩 Know someone who would find this helpful? Share it with a parent, teacher, or future changemaker.

🎙 Follow so you never miss a story.

🎧 Thanks for listening to Workplus, the podcast that brings real jobs into the light.

🔗 Find more stories, tools, and guides to help young people and returners explore meaningful careers at workplus.app

📩 Know someone who would find this helpful? Share it with a parent, teacher, or future changemaker.

🎙Follow so you never miss a story.