Alison Watson honoured for innovation in education

A former land surveyor, Alison founded the social enterprise Class Of Your Own (COYO) in 2009 following her work on the UK Government’s Building Schools for the Future programme. Driven by a determination to challenge the exclusion of children and young people from a programme that she believes should have embedded deep, continuous, applied STEM learning at its core, it’s a challenge she continues to address today across all sectors. Her response was and still is practical and systemic, bringing industry into education rather than treating them as separate worlds. Through the creation of the Design Engineer Construct! learning programme, students work alongside professionals on live projects using industry-standard tools, processes, and language, developing confidence, competence, and a clear sense of belonging in the professions they aspire to join.

Her work has enabled thousands of young people to progress from school into further study, apprenticeships, and professional careers across surveying, engineering, architecture, and construction. Alumni of the programme now continue their education at the University of East London, reinforcing the strength of place-based, applied learning models that connect education directly to opportunity.

Alison’s leadership extends across the profession. She was awarded an MBE for services to education in 2018, is an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) and an Honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES), where she proudly served as President in 2024–25 under her theme Make Space for Education. Alison has consistently called on professionals to engage meaningfully with education, support teachers and take responsibility for developing the next generation of talent, especially through apprenticeship routes.

Reflecting on the award, Alison said, 

It is a privilege to receive this honour from the University of East London, an institution that understands education as a driver of social mobility, economic resilience, and place-based impact. Vision 2028 reflects what has guided my work for many years, building education that leads somewhere, connects to real careers, and gives learners a genuine sense of agency in shaping the world around them.”

She added, “Too many young people with talent and ambition are excluded from professions that shape our built and natural environment, not because they lack ability, but because pathways are unclear or inaccessible. Education works best when it is intentional, inclusive and connected to the real world. That is why recognition from UEL matters so deeply.”