Within my placement, I worked alongside the Term Maintenance team on the Valley Gardens site in Brighton, which is in the construction phase, so there was a lot going on. I had some site tasks to do including stock checks, daily resource auditing, and updating the drawing plans. I shadowed the major roles on site, including our partners, suppliers and Hove City Council, which gave me an insight into how they operate and deliver collaboratively.
I was interested in the materials engineering as well, so I spent a day at the Technology Centre in Gravesend, touring their materials manufacturing and testing facilities as well as the construction site for two new bitumen tanks. I also spent a day at the Sevenoaks office with the commercial team to gain an understanding on how their roles connect to those on site.
It has been interesting to see how a construction project is executed, and how all of the roles fit together. Through spending most of my time on the Valley Gardens site and doing the resources audit, I was able to see how work on each of the areas progressed every day. I am entering my fourth year of my engineering degree so being able to consolidate what I have learnt as theory into a real site setting was very useful. As well as the materials and groundworks exposure, I learnt a lot about safety and risk, sustainability, project management and financing.
My advice for anyone going on a placement: FM Conway is a huge business with many different divisions, so if you are curious about what a different location does or want to spend a day with a different team then there are lots of opportunities to do so. My programme was well designed by John and Hannah to give me lots of exposure into all areas of the project at the site but also to understand the different business areas within FM Conway. There is definitely room to tailor the placement to your interests which makes the experience really positive.
This Careers in Construction Month, hear from Hannah Purnell, one of the Talent Managers in our Learning and Development Team, as she talks about her role, the opportunities available at FM Conway, and why apprenticeships are a great first step into the industry.
This Careers in Construction Month hear from our Apprentice Assistant Specialist Surfacing Coordinator, Libby, about her choice to leave school at 16 and find her place in the construction industry.
This Careers in Construction Month we spoke to Kelly Hills, Recruitment Manager at FM Conway, about the development in the industry and the growth to build a more inclusive diverse workforce.