Graduates talk projects: back to school for a building services engineer

The construction company that James Collins works for was brought on board by another firm to build two new schools for Doncaster Metropolitan Council, one in Edlington and one in Mexborough. James was involved with installing the crucial mechanical and electrical services within the buildings. These range from the security, lighting, fire alarm, power, heating and gas systems to the BMS (building management system) that monitors and controls each of them.

I learned how to manage people.

‘I started work on this project in July 2007, and the children will be starting at their newly completed schools in January 2009,’ explains James. ‘For the first six months I worked on the pre-construction and design stages while the site was set up. From then on my work was very much site orientated, with the occasional trip back to the office.’

A typical day on site as a building services engineer

James’ typical duties on this large project included keeping drawings up to date, selecting and managing subcontractors, and organising meetings to both track the progress of subcontractors and to help manage client relationships. He was also involved with some of the number-crunching for payment applications, financial planning and material requisitions.

While working hours both in the office and on site were usually 8.15 am to 5.00 pm, on such a big project there were always deadlines to be met and James rarely left at 5 on the dot. ‘This was the only project I was working on at the time, but there was a lot to get done and it was certainly a full time job. Being on site at 8.00 am on January 2 in the freezing cold supervising the lifting of cabins into place was definitely a challenge, but it was great to get the job done as a team.’

When pipes were damanged through extreme cold, I managed the repair work.

The colleagues James worked with were very supportive when it came to maintaining a good work/life balance and a team orientated atmosphere on site, and everyone worked together to solve problems. This support network came in handy when set backs threatened to knock a project off schedule. ‘Some of the under floor heating pipes were damaged during a period of extreme cold,’ James explains. ‘The pipes needed to be repaired and re-tested, and I managed the subcontractor undertaking the work, which involved briefing him and completing quality control checks.’

Learning from experience

Being given a lot of responsibility from the start meant that the project was a great learning experience for James, and key to his professional development. ‘In my time on the project I learned a massive amount about construction, engineering, and the way I work. Attention to detail is critical as an engineer, as there could have been financial implications if something went wrong on the project. With the support of other engineers and managers, I in turn learnt how to manage people and that good communication is an absolute must on these types of projects.’

James Collins is a graduate engineer at NG Bailey. He has a BEng in mechanical engineering from Huddersfield University and graduated in 2006.