STUDENT VOICE Student Voice SPRING SUMMER 2017 | Page 32

STUDENTS NAIL
CONSTRUCTION
PLACEMENTS
I’m studying towards an HNC
in Quantity Surveying and I had
the chance to work with the Kier
Group for a week, to see first-
hand what it was like to be a
Contractor’s Quantity Surveyor
for a multi-million pound
contract.
KYLE
“
My week at
Kier has definitely
confirmed that
this is the career
path I want to
take.
”
32
I was inducted onto the site and
introduced to the office team
ranging from the Project Manager,
Contracts Manager and of course
the Quantity Surveyors. I was
then shown the BIM model for
the project which is a computer
generated model that can be
manipulated and changed to
show the complete build from the
architect’s drawings. I also had a
look at the model for an individual
room through a VR headset which
was amazing.
The QS team I worked with were
incredible. They were keen to
teach me and I was just as keen
to learn. I had the chance to put
the theory I had learned from my
course into practice in a real world
environment.
A NUMBER OF STUDENTS
RECENTLY ENJOYED SITE
PLACEMENTS WHERE
THEY WERE ABLE TO
EXPERIENCE WHAT IT’S
LIKE TO WORK IN THE
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY.
EVERY STUDENT WHO
WENT ON PLACEMENT
CAME BACK TO COLLEGE
MORE ENTHUSED THAN
EVER!
To show just how beneficial
placements can be, we
caught up with Kyle Shirkie,
Carole Westcott and Dean
Young to hear what they
learned from their visits.
I was allowed to perform take-
offs and measurements of various
packages. I evaluated works
completed against applications
made by contractors and created a
Bill of Quantities. I was also able to
have a chat and site walk around
with the Mechanical & Electrical
Manager for Kier - checking the
progress of the works and any
‘snags’ that would potentially
delay the project finishing on time.
I was able to sit in on a health and
safety meeting which was very
informative and observed things
like a value and cost report which I
had only ever heard about before.
My week at Kier has definitely
confirmed that this is the career
path I want to take. I felt included
and that I could ask anything.
I gained valuable experience
and although I was only there
for a short time, I felt like part
of the team. I would like to
thank everyone at the site for a
wonderful week and an amazing
experience.
THE STUDENT VOICE SPRING/SUMMER 2017