Some of our biggest and best remembered CEW Award winners have been schools projects. Whilst the creation of a school is always memorable, doing it right is one of the hardest jobs in construction.

Whilst the builders of the Victorian, pre-war and 1960s buildings that are now being refurbished, rebuilt or replaced worked to a plan and their respective perceptions of what an educational facility should be like, they had none of the detailed requirements to meet that modern construction teams' face. Dealing with the variety of expectations amongst the different stakeholder groups is one challenge, but add to that the requirements to address sustainability issues, community benefits and waste across the whole site it is little wonder that programmes such as 21^st Century Schools are greeted with such a degree of expectation.

The money invested by Welsh Government is a huge commitment, but it is also a vote of confidence in our industry. More than that, the project to ensure that the money is spent as effectively as possible is a major gesture of faith in CEW and our wider team.

Education is critical to the future of our country and the well being of our children. The responsibility to make sure that the 21^st Century Schools programme is delivered right is a big one – but it is also an honour. As an industry we have a duty of care to do this right. That is why it makes sense to learn from the education projects that have been both nominates and winners of the CEW Awards.