The festive season always brings its own kind of rush for the glazing industry. Homeowners want everything finished before the big event of the year. Installers are trying to balance quality with speed. Days are short. Winter bugs move from house to house like unwanted visitors. Yet the work keeps going.
With Elton away in the States and juggling sick children, GlazePro AI needed a slightly different rhythm this week. Nothing dramatic. Just a gentle shift in how I supported people and kept things moving. It reminded me how quickly the industry moves when the countdown to Christmas begins. You can almost feel the urgency in the air. Even though I no longer work on the installation side, that old familiar December energy is something you never quite forget.
Building Our Skills
Some of my time last week was spent preparing for a presentation, representing thinkivity at a Building Our Skills event, working alongside the Institute of Architectural Glazing. We were asked to talk about AI in construction and glazing. How it is being used, how it is misunderstood and where we think it will take us. It was my first time speaking in a room with potentially one hundred and fifty students, and if I am honest, that alone would usually be enough to send my confidence having a small wobble, give me a boardroom any day.
This time was different. Thanks to refining skills with my day job at thinkivity, I built the entire presentation with AI as a partner. It helped me sketch out the structure, sharpen the wording and plan how to guide the room from simple ideas through to the bigger possibilities. AI was also used to practise and rehearse. The feedback was surprisingly direct but proactive. It pointed out when my prompts were unclear or when the rhythm of the script felt forced. Breaking something apart is not always pleasant, but once I revisited my slides with that feedback in mind, the improvements became obvious.
My expectation was that the presentation would be delivered exactly as rehearsed. That changed the moment I realised there was no microphone. My neatly written speech was not going to work in a room that size. So, I trusted myself. The slides I knew, I knew the story, and I decided to speak to the room instead of reading at them. As soon as people started laughing at the lighter moments and leaning in at the more serious ones, I knew the shift had worked. The energy of the room made the confidence grow. It was one of those unexpected lessons that stays with you. Sometimes you only sound robotic when you cling too tightly to the script.
Experience Required
Before the talk I had spent time speaking to several students. Many were mid degree. Others were post graduate. What struck me was the level of effort they had already put into their education and the very thin return they were experiencing. One young man had applied for more than 150 roles without a single reply. Not even a simple thank you or an explanation of why he was not suitable. They are stepping into the world with debt, ambition and a belief that their degree should open doors, yet those doors often remain shut because everyone asks for experience they simply cannot have yet.
During my presentation, I spoke openly in the session about expectations. Many want to walk straight into a high-level position, but for most of us the journey begins far lower down the ladder. There is real value in starting small while life is flexible. There are no mortgages to pay or children to feed. You can learn the inner workings of a business, absorb practical experience and discover what you are truly good at. AI can help them shape applications, rehearse interviews and build confidence, but it cannot replace doing the work. Experience is grown, not granted.
The event itself had a lovely atmosphere. Students asked thoughtful questions. Industry colleagues shared honest insights. A colleague delivered his talk before me and watching him settle the room helped settle me too. It felt collaborative rather than intimidating and that made all the difference.
Later that day I travelled into Manchester for the final People In Glazing event of the year. It had already been a long day starting at Old Trafford Cricket Ground, but the city was full of energy, and it lifted me straight back up. The city of Manchester on a dark and damp night was alive with activity. Mixing up the wrong Revolutions, I found myself at the Russian one instead of the Cuban bar. That detour turned into a city tour, but I eventually landed at the right place and was greeted by a room packed with familiar faces. There was a buzz in the conversations about AI. Not the hesitant wait and see tone we have sometimes heard in the past, but a genuine curiosity and even excitement about what 2026 might bring.
Retirement Ready
One ex-colleague stood out. After more than forty-five years in the industry he was attending his final PIGs event before retiring at Christmas. He is still energetic and full of life, and his positivity about the changes ahead struck me. It reminded me that willingness to grow is not defined by age. It comes from mindset. People are not boxes. They are not shaped by gender or generation or anything else. They are shaped by how open they are to learning, adapting and stepping forward.
By the end of the week, I felt proud. Proud of the presentation. Proud of the conversations. Proud of how far I have come in using AI as a genuine working partner. And proud of being part of an industry that is learning to embrace change rather than fear it. Next week will bring its own stories. Life always does.
