TV PRESENTER and architect George Clarke has launched a series of new courses at Teesside University which he hopes will help rejuvenate the “antiquated” building industry.

Mr Clarke, who presents popular TV show George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces, wants to kickstart a fundamental change to the profession, attracting new generations and bring the industry into the 21st century.

Through his Ministry of Building Innovation (MOBI) initiative he hopes bring in fresh ideas and new technology and the first courses of their kind will start at Teesside University later this year.

He said: “MOBI is about training, retraining, making, building and creating innovative twenty-first century homes that genuinely improve the way people live – We need to teach the new generation of students how to think differently to challenge the norm and look for new ways of doing things.”

The slow and antiquated method of building new homes is painful and, fundamentally, we still build homes the way we did hundreds of years ago. Whilst technology corporations, telecommunication companies, the automotive and aerospace industry are advancing at incredible rates, the house building industry is stagnant and it’s genuinely time for systematic change.

“There is a need for exciting innovation, opportunities to push the boundaries of what we build and how we build that will attract bright new minds in to the industry.”

Courses in advanced home construction from HND to MSc level will take a new look at the industry to attract learners from different disciplines, not just traditional architecture, and allow them to explore different specialisms, including digital solutions to being more creative with buildings.

Professor Jane Turner Pro Vice-Chancellor, enterprise, said: “The students graduating from these programmes will have distinctive knowledge and a unique skills set, making them highly sought after by industry.”

Professor Tim Thompson, course leader, explained: “These courses are designed to produce students ready to make a disruptive change to a traditional industry. We’ll encourage creativity, independent thinking, leadership skills and artistry to address a social need.”

The courses will work closely with industry and a dedicated workshop, MOBI-Lise, on campus will allow students to make and test items.

The government set a target of one million new homes to be built by the end of 2020 but this is unlikely to be met. Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity, is calling urgent action to stem rising levels of homelessness, affecting 50,000 families each year.

For details of the courses visit www.tees.ac.uk/advanced home.