The ground engineering industry is essential to the safe, sustainable, and resilient delivery of infrastructure, buildings, and environmental protection. But like many sectors, we face a significant challenge: attracting the next generation of skilled, passionate professionals into the industry.
To meet the needs of the future, we must widen the talent pipeline—engaging not only with university students, but also with school pupils, college learners, and individuals looking to transfer into the sector from other careers.
We know that inspiring a future workforce means starting early and supporting people at every stage of their journey into the profession.
That’s why Ground Forum member organisations are actively involved in STEM outreach—visiting schools, attending careers fairs, hosting university events, and promoting the many exciting career paths available within ground engineering. Whether it’s piling, geotechnical design, ground investigation, or environmental consultancy, our industry has a role for every kind of problem-solver.
We are also supporting initiatives that encourage career changers and those from non-traditional backgrounds to discover opportunities in ground engineering, through mentoring, technical pathways, and CPD.
Ground Forum has brought together the early careers groups from across the industry—including the Federation of Piling Specialists (FPS), the Association of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Specialists (AGS), and the British Geotechnical Association (BGA)—to coordinate and amplify their efforts.
These groups are working directly with schools, universities, and early-career professionals to:
In addition, we are collaborating with University Geoscience UK to help increase enrolment in geoscience degrees—a critical step in maintaining the flow of talent into geotechnical and geoenvironmental roles.
The future of ground engineering depends on the talent we attract today. Through outreach, collaboration, and innovation, Ground Forum and its member organisations are working to make this industry more visible, more inclusive, and more accessible than ever before.
If you’re passionate about shaping the ground beneath our future, we want to hear from you.