Cambridge Biomedical Campus Learning Week - Carianne McIntosh – Graduate Construction Supervisor at Skanska Construction

As part of CBC Learning Week, here is a piece from Carianne McIntosh – Graduate Construction Supervisor at Skanska Construction who is currently working on the new Papworth Hospital, ready for it to open in Spring 2018.

Born: 4 October 1992

Originally from Essex, now living in Northampton and working at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge

Interested in the Built Environment from the age of about 10; my dad used to work in London and on a weekend when the work was finished he would walk me round London looking at the skyscrapers being built. The Gherkin was the first building I saw being built from the groundworks up and from that point I knew I wanted to work for Skanska who built the Gherkin.

Education:

Southend High School for Girls (GCSEs and A-Levels)

-              Maths

-              Geography

-              Physics

-              World Development

I took a variety of subjects that would help me to get into the industry either through engineering or site management.

Oxford Brookes University 2011-2015 (Compulsory Sandwich Year) - BSc (Hons) – 1st Class Degree

In my compulsory sandwich year I worked for a renovation company based in Oxford but working on the renovation of a Grade 2 Listed villa in London. I had experience of quantity surveying, architecture, programming and planning and project management.

University modules included:

•             Construction Law

•             Town Planning

•             Health and Safety

•             Building Design and Materials (including demolition)

•             Project Planning

Work: 

Skanska – Graduate Scheme for 2 Years

Began my role as a Graduate Construction Supervisor on the graduate scheme with Skanska in September 2015. The graduate scheme comprises of a number of ‘modules’ to complete to enable graduates to gain a wide variety of experiences within the various units of the business to create a more ‘rounded’ individual with understanding of more than just their role within the company.

My graduate role within the company will finish in September 2017 when I am promoted to a more senior role. At the moment I am working towards becoming a chartered member of the CIOB and to continue my development – in my role you learn something new every day. The construction industry is a continually changing place to work – it develops with social, economic and digital trends and no project is ever the same.

The Graduate Programme consists of the following:

Social Agenda - Undertaken in the first year. Graduates are given a choice of social projects they can develop i.e. involvement with community technology colleges, visits to schools to promote the construction industry, volunteering opportunities etc. These agendas create information packs that can be distributed business-wide to create a more universal approach throughout the business with regards to the topics.

Digital Agenda - Undertaken in the second year. Graduates are given a subject of interest that Skanska would like to investigate within the digital world i.e. Visual Risk Assessments                 and Method Statements, Plant/Vehicle Interface, BIM, 4D Modelling. Graduates investigate and report on their findings and how new technologies can be integrated business-wide to help us develop with the digital world.

Professional Pathway - All graduates are signed up to RICS, the CIOB, CIBSE or ICE to enable them to progress into chartered members of the various building, services and engineering institutions

Living Our Values - Graduates are expected to attend a number of training courses Skanska offer across the business. This is to enable graduates to gain experience of their role within the company and the expectations, but also how other people contribute to the business and how this affects the market/workplace. Courses include Diversity and Inclusion, Green Workshops, NEC3 Conditions of Contract, BIM and SMSTS.

STEM Ambassadors - Graduates are signed up to be STEM ambassadors to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) subjects at school age (5-19 years) and to aid with events taking place in their local area.

Project Management and Leadership Development - Graduates take part in a variety of longer courses to develop their knowledge in the Built Environment. Not all graduates have degrees in the Built Environment – we have chemists           and other non-cognate members of the team. These courses aid with understanding the more simple elements of construction so graduates have foundation on which to base their     knowledge. Graduates also take part in internal emerging talent assessment centres where         they can be a part of the recruitment process of the new graduates, aiding with any questions regarding the graduate course.

Networking - Graduates are encouraged to network with others both internally and externally and attend a number of events that will promote the development of their personal network.

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