Laura Frutos-Orenes

NAME Laura Frutos-Orenes
JOB Construction manager
AREA OF WORK Construction management
EMPLOYER Morgan Ashurst
QUALIFICATIONS BSc technical architecture, Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Spain (2005); BSc building project management, Northumbria University (2006)

At high school I was passionate about technical drawing and how it could be applied to the real world. I was drawn to a career in construction management because you help create something from nothing. While at university,I completed a second year placement at my current employer and was then offered sponsorship for my final year.

My construction management job

I assist the site manager and co-ordinate the activities of a certain group of subcontractors on site. I hold progress meetings once a week, carry out quality inspections, and am responsible for overall health and safety.

I always have the support of the team – it’s like a family!

Communication is the most important skill to have if you work in construction – it’s all about getting your message across to the people around you, from management to the many different people working on site. The thing I enjoy most about my job is working on a variety of different projects, which all present new challenges. Long hours are sometimes required in construction, but I always have the support of the team – it’s like a family!

Career development

Professional career development in cosntruction is not difficult to achieve and is open to anyone – I’m currently working on a professional development programme to gain CIOB accreditation. I change my mind every day about where I want to be in ten years’ time, but I’m really enjoying construction and can see myself working internationally.