Construction Assistant Review

Student Accommodation - 41 Storey, 905 apartments. Chapter London Bridge Some of the daily tasks, interactions and daily responsibilities of an apprentice. Its an excellent choice! - Communicating to stake holders with clear deliverables: As a construction assistant (Site Manager), my job is to ensure clear communication is being demonstrated throughout the construction projects life cycle; this is from a client requirements perspective, time bound perspective, company policy perspective and most importantly a health and safety requirement. If a main contractor such as MACE and a client have agreed to a specified contract type such as a JCT design and build, fixed price has been settled, derogation's have been made and it's being done for a fixed price then we are contractually obliged to meet their project specific requirements such as key milestone dates or sustainability ratings with BREEAM. To meet these requirements, you will need to understand and build trust by communicating with your team, external/ internal stakeholders and subcontractors. This will be daily occurrence onsite to ensure you have managed everyone's expectations enabling a successful project completion. Out onsite gives you the opportunity to see what is really happening, the client will have a contract programme, the principle contractor will have a delivery programme and sub contractors will have their own which they agreed to which means the tasks are time bound. In order to make this work you need to ensure health and safety is kept to a high standard, I give site inductions to stakeholders which involves an in depth and interactive presentation which covers site rules, house keeping, Prohibition signs, fire safety procedures, safety moments and the businesses 4 steps to safety. If you do not have the following then we do not permit you to work. 1. Are you in safe place? (Does your working environment pose a threat to your safety?) 2. Do you have a safe system of work? (Are you following the method statement or RAMS you set out to follow?, if not you need to stop and review) 3. Are you tools and equipment in date and safe to use? (checks before use, 3 month, 6 month, 12 month checks) 4. Are your colleagues safe? If anyone is found to not follow the health and safety procedures above It is my job to speak with the operative to communicate and give clear deliverables on what should and what shouldn't be done by going through 1. observing (See the unsafe act), 2. Engaging by discussing the four steps to safety and 3. improving by closing out the unsafe condition or act once I'm satisfied. If unsatisfied they will need to be re inducted again depending on the severity of the act. I also use technology platforms such as Yellow Jacket which will help you to identify risks and hazards via site inspections and observations. Once risks are found which could potentially turn into a Hazard you can then raise this with the responsible stakeholder for them to review and close out. Risks, near misses and Hazards can pose a risk to the health and safety of our team which can cause delays onsite therefore its of paramount importance it is communicated properly, I also make a good habit of discussing concerns during 8:00 AM Tool box talks before the works initiate to give a refresher. Sustaining time bound deliverables - You need to track, report and monitor the progress of tasks made onsite (Site diaries and daily activity briefings), you need to analyse what went well and what went wrong on that specific day to ensure good practice is followed and the bad is acknowledged and rectified so we can learn from our mistakes to prevent delays which can occur in liquidation damages. To elaborate, during the daily activity briefing at 3:00 PM, this will give members of the management team or black hats (Supervisors) the opportunity to discuss the progress of the site activities and what could be improved. I am responsible for analysing if the stakeholders are struggling to achieve a time bound requirement, then we can then look at the problem and plan to resolve it by offering specialist solutions to the problem ensuring the programme can be continue as planned; this could be the stakeholders have raised logistical safe route concerns of operatives being close to NRMM (Non road moving machines) there for we need to strategically create space on site to separate operatives from danger or e.g. a concrete supplier isn't supplying enough concrete and the programme is falling behind, we can find options and mandate for new suppliers to come on board for the stakeholder to use. Environmental monitoring - I have been appointed great responsibilities on site as MACE gives you the trust needed to adapt and grow as an individual. As a site manager you are given additional responsibilities to track, monitor and report environmental factors which can impact the local sensitisers such as the local community and human comfort levels, the environment and its local surrounding habitats. As part of Mace training you go through nuisance 101 which is part of the section 61 covering noise, dust and vibrations derived from the construction work. A nuisance can be anything from the works having an impact on pedestrians normal routes taken to get to where they need to be, dust covering cars, excessive noise leaking from site and vibrations causing damage to services such as fiber optics or water mains ( Imagine being without no water or internet, the community wouldn't be too happy!). Dealing with the community as a coordinator can be a challenge which is why I love it! because they know the area better then you do and it gives you a chance to interact and get to know them. We are a part of the considerate construction scheme there for we have an obligation to ensure disturbances are minimised so we have provided solutions to mitigate the factors by having monitors set up to record and track. Any breaches are investigated and reviewed, the information is passed by myself to the subcontractors onsite to ensure they put measures in place to see if they can do the task with a different methodology such as the placement of additional acoustic barriers around machinery, dampening down dust using water or applying extensions above the site perimeter to catch debris, dirt and dust. The role is exciting as you can also create Traffic Management Plans and liaise with external stakeholders such as Transport for London, Southwark council, the NHS or even Network Rail on the planning for logistics in and around site. As mentioned before construction activities can cause disturbances however you are there to ensure that processes in and around site are organised and planned correctly causing very little disturbances to the people who live and operate in the area.

Team building skills and trust - as you can already tell, in order to work efficiently, team building and trust is paramount. Not only from a health and safety perspective but also from a project deliverable perspective and a company cultural perspective. My background was originally in sales and recruitment, coming into the industry taught me how to further interact and how to be dynamic with individuals as everyone is uniquely individual which poses challenges. The best way to over come this, in construction, workers love to show off their skill as its a vocational topic! and the best way to learn is to ask questions, they will tell you how its done and what things mean. Showing this interest builds rapport and trust, showing this interest will enable bonds to be formed and it will then show in your conversations that you now have common ground to discuss. At Mace there is no such thing as a stupid question, ask away! Training courses, construction materials, science and practical training (Health and safety courses) - Mace apprenticeships offer a diverse set of internal and external training courses which will help you to develop a niche in your career separating you from the rest. I have sat on internal training courses such as low carbon, earth friendly concrete all the way to In Situ concrete where it will teach you the theoretical side of concretes available, its structural reinforcements, strengths and grades, testing types, ticketing, climate (Temperature conditioning) and the ways its applied into practice. This was then backed up with visually seeing the production of the concrete making processes giving you exposure to how it is done at a plant visit (Hanson concrete - Kings Cross), what retardants are involved and what admixtures are placed into the concrete. Doing the site visit is useful as it broadens your networking horizons with the supply chain and it also teaches you what the concrete should look like (Viscosity etc), that way once you are onsite if you feel something isn't right, you can query with ground workers if what they are doing is correct, if it isn't you could be saving your project delays which is a good thing!

I highly recommend an apprenticeship with Mace, If you are pragmatic, you enjoy problem solving, you are vocational and you are a team leader then this is the role for you! Mace provides you with the foundations needed to develop you career as an apprentice as they give you the autonomy to learn with plenty of support along the way. The teams are excellent and extremely inclusive as each and every individual within the business is culturally diverse and everyone is treated with equality. I have never encountered any negativity within the business. As you can tell it most certainly meets my expectations and throughout I thoroughly look forward to each day as you never know what challenges it may bring, not every two days are the same!

My programme is highly organised and structured, you are open to many things as an apprentice: Review meetings are given monthly and you are set up with a buddy who underwent the same learning experience as yourself so the common ground is there to ask questions and empathize with one another. You are given tasks to suit your ability, if you fancy more you can ask and it will be given to you as there is so much to learn and so much to do! If you fancy taking on volunteering tasks, mace offers mace days which allows you to take a day off to contribute to a good causes. If you fancy extra training or you wish to take on additional education, mace will accommodate for this There are networking events and communities within the business too where you can share experiences and interact with one another. If you specifically feel like you belong to a community that represents you then mace accommodates for this too.

I get regular support from my employer, my line manager and myself sit down monthly to discuss my progress and to see where I can improve as an individual to ensure my career develops further. Any issues within the business can be taken up with the HR team who are willing to help by accommodate for any concerns you have, if you are struggling financially, if you are suffering from mental health issues then Mace my employer can help with that. Overall a very positive and supportive business model.

I am currently studying for an NVQ level 4 in site supervision and a HNC in built environment studies level 4. I have a partnership manager who liaises with myself, my line manager and the college to ensure I am on track. If I need time, or I need to gain further exposure to a specific topic then this can be arranged both at college and within Mace. I enjoy my course a lot as I can demonstrate and put this into practice in the work place.

As mentioned previously, If need to gain further exposure to a specific topic then this can be arranged both at college and within Mace. The experience you will gain from theory will not always be what you will learn on site but the knowledge is extremely useful, I enjoy my course a lot as I can demonstrate and put this into practice in the work place.

As mentioned previously: If you fancy taking on volunteering tasks, mace offers mace days which allows you to take a day off to contribute to a good causes. I did a volunteering day at a school where I did science experiments with 7 - 10 year old's where we made vinegar and bicarbonate balloon inflation due to the CO2 chemical reaction and gave a simplified presentation on buildings. I also volunteered at the woodberry wetland center which is a nature reserve where I cleaned up the undergrowth to allow new growth to form creating new habitats. If you fancy extra training or you wish to take on additional education, mace will accommodate for this There are networking events and communities within the business too where you can share experiences and interact with one another. If you specifically feel like you belong to a community that represents you then mace accommodates for this too. Very Inclusive!

Yes

Mace has a very different approach to other businesses who act traditionally. Mace is willing to try every technique in the book as it is modern and wants to watch its workers grow, strive and progress in a market which is changing drastically daily in the extremely challenging environment we live in today. If you look at the revenue turn over of the business and the growth strategy they are implementing by looking at statistical tenure. They must be doing something right!

Ensure you ask plenty of questions Be keen Show lots of interest Attend open days Build a great relationship with your interviewer and show your interest in them Interview your interviewer Be detailed Show your skills backed up by real life scenarios and examples.