Luke Day - Construction Engineer Training Programme
Whilst I was at sixth form I was in two minds whether I wanted to go to uni or go out and get a trainee position in a well respected company. I heard about this job through a relative who's been working in this industry for over 30 years and he said what a great opportunity it was for me, as there were great qualifications on offer, it's a great company to work for and there's great opportunities for progression.
As a construction engineer, I'll be managing and supervising the teams that replace the metallic leaking gas mains with Polyethylene (plastic) ones which are more reliable and stronger.
As part of the Construction Engineer Training Programme I believe part of the skills that are needed are leadership skills so that you can work with the teams and manage the teams to make them as productive as possible but also make them work as safely as possible. As part of the leadership skills you also need people skills not only for the team but also to work with the councils and customers on a day to day basis. For example when the customer's gas is turned off we need to make them understand it's for essential works.
The best bit about the working environment is the training facilities they have to offer, for example, behind me I've been working on a repair clamp trying to fix a leaking joint. These facilities help us to gain a practical understanding as well as the theory side in the classroom therefore giving us a better understanding of the job as a whole.
After the Construction Engineer Training Programme has finished I hope to develop my skills further as a gas engineer and therefore gain more experience and hopefully I will gain chartered engineer status and get a degree in engineering, enhancing my chances of progressing throughout the company and maximising my potential.