Dawn Butchart

NAME Dawn Butchart
JOB Management trainee
AREA OF WORK Facilities management
EMPLOYER Haden Building Management Ltd (a Balfour Beatty company)
QUALIFICATIONS BSc leisure facilities management, Glasgow Caledonian University (2005)

I attended a number of built environment open days at university before deciding that facilities management was the area I was most interested in. During my four years of study I acquired a sound knowledge of the industry, but the most valuable experience was working as an assistant facilities manager as part of my management trainee programme.

Core services

In this role I provided core services within the BT Tower and 24 other London buildings, ensuring that they were in operation at all times. I worked with facilities managers and engineers, assisting them by advising of any jobs that were due for completion, and collating information to keep site logbooks and site audit information up to date. I sometimes visited the site to meet subcontractors and agree the work that had to be carried out. I also worked as a mobilisation manager, which involved setting up practices at a new site, such as logbooks, certification folder and water hygiene logs.

Expanding my knowledge

I’m currently working in business development and have a functional role that allows me to learn about other areas of the business and gain more experience. My time at university was great because I was studying a subject that I was interested in and enjoyed learning about and now that I am qualified I love coming to work every day.