Profile

I was 16 when I initially started my apprenticeship, I live in Warfield (Berkshire) with my parents and 3 other siblings. I have a 6 month old Yorkshire terrier cross Chihuahua puppy and two tropical fish. I am studying towards a Level 3 BTEC in construction and the built environment, along side a Level 3 NVQ in Construction Contracting Operations.  In my spare time i’m a volunteering police cadet and help out with the guide dog’s trust, i enjoy travelling, cooking and spending with family and friends.

Civil engineering in the construction industry is much more than designing fancy buildings. It is also about maintaining and adapting the infrastructure that we as a society depend on everyday – our roads, railways, bridges, energy and water supply. Civil engineers have to maintain and update these infrastructural elements running effectively and adapt it to meet the challenges, such as population growth, natural disasters and climate change. Working with VINCI Construction, sets me up to become a fully trained and qualified chartered civil engineer. To achieve this I am gaining experience on the Cross-rail West Project. Once fully developed will allow quick and easy links to the London Underground tube stations. In addition to this, new station ticket halls are currently being developed Making your journey in and out of London easier and faster.

This is a before and after picture of what Southall Station looks like, I had little contribution in designing the new improved building, by inputting my suggestions of which materials to use.

When working on a construction site, every day is never the same. However, I have been given the responsibility to take care of the environmental and health and safety side of construction. With construction, it is a necessity that the environment and health and safety is discussed in detail, before any major site activities take place.

My job is to ensure, the environment is protected and considered at all times. To make sure this takes place, I have learnt to minimise noise and air pollution, by recording weekly/monthly data, through a noise monitoring machine. This notifies me when works have triggered over the expected limit. This is then attended too immediately, either by putting limitations on working hours or providing the location with extra noise preventing measures (e.g. noise blankets), which I am in-charge of implementing.

In terms of health and safety, I am First Aid Qualified. With training provided, I have learnt how to report accidents and prevent future situations, make sure workers are fit for work and have all the entitled documents to work on a particular job. Despite these responsibilities, I am given the opportunity to experience site and office duties,such as surveying amongst other activities.