The Architectural Glazing Careers Festival 2025

The Architectural Glazing Careers Festival was an outstanding success - marking a powerful step forward in addressing one of the industry’s most pressing challenges: the talent gap.

In collaboration with the IAG (The Institute of Architectural Glazing) and Building Our Skills, and hosted in partnership with AluK, this event brought together key players across the architectural glazing and façades sector, alongside the future professionals of the industry.

The festival was carefully structured to give students meaningful exposure to the architectural glazing and façades industry from the moment they arrived. The day began where students connected with representatives from over 15 leading firms.

Which followed with three interactive masterclasses. Eugene Korch led a technical session on façade engineering, Daniel Rickman followed with a candid discussion on career growth and company culture, while William Sharman closed the series with an inspiring look at bold design in architectural glazing.

To wrap up the day, a dynamic panel discussion brought together voices from Structura, EAG, Cantifix Ltd, and Wates Group. The panel tackled pressing industry issues - from the talent shortage to the importance of bridging education and employment - and highlighted the power of collaboration in driving the sector forward.

---

3 Placements for Students

What’s also exciting is that, as a direct result of the connections made during the festival, three students have successfully secure placement opportunities with leading companies in the sector: Structura, Cantifix, and maxlight. These placements represent more than just valuable work experience - they’re the exciting first steps on what could become long-term careers in architectural glazing.

Each of the selected students will have the chance to work hands-on within high-performing teams, gain exposure to live projects, and develop practical skills that are essential to the future of the façades and glazing sector. Whether it’s engineering, project management, design, or installation, these placements will provide a comprehensive introduction to real industry environments.

One of those students, Ines Idoulahiane from the University of Westminster, shared her experience:

"I attended the StudentVenture architecture glazing event not knowing exactly what to expect, but it turned out to be a really valuable and exciting experience.

Following that, I applied formally through the Student Venture app, and also followed up by emailing Structura directly to express my interest in joining their team over the summer. I was really happy (and surprised!) to hear back, they told me they were impressed by the initiative I’d shown, and they ended up creating a placement opportunity specifically for me.

I'm incredibly grateful for this chance to join Structura for a couple of months, shadow their façade designers, and get hands-on fabrication experience.

Without StudentVenture, none of this would have happened, it really opened the door to an opportunity I wouldn’t have known existed otherwise."

Ines Idoulahiane

University of Westminster

---

Bridging the Gap - Together

The talent shortage in architectural glazing won’t be solved overnight - but this festival was proof that by working together, we can start to close the gap. By creating real opportunities, offering hands-on learning, and sharing authentic stories, we’re building a bridge from higher education into an industry that needs and values the next generation.

If you’re looking to tap into emerging talent or hire the next generation of skilled professionals across construction, design, glazing, façades, and beyond - StudentVenture can help. Whether you're building your future team or planning an industry event, we’re here to support you.

Contact us at StudentVenture - and let’s shape industries, together.