Putting professional skills into practice
"
I was based just outside of Lyon with a team of
around 20 people from 12 or 13 different nationalities. Of course I
missed family and friends at first but quickly made lots of new
friends and felt right at home.
"My placement involved putting everything I’d learned at UWE Bristol into play in the professional world, and I got to do lots of different things.
"I started off putting measurements into cost models and cost
plans in order to deliver accurate estimates. I was heavily
involved with the pre-contract phase on a residential building with
17 apartments.
"I went on to analyse different materials and implementation
methods. This involved creating fictitious buildings, an individual
house and an office, with full measurements and costs. Then I
assessed how costs were affected by implementing new systems,
methods or materials associated with Lafarge. The results were used
to analyse the benefits of the Lafarge system, whether these were
upfront cost savings, whole life cost savings or any other
benefits.
"It was good to get a taste of lots of different aspects of the
job. I particularly enjoyed working client-side which involved
having meetings, talking to people, looking at where projects could
be modified and coming up with solutions."
Graduate opportunities
"I’m about to graduate and after having been in the running for six jobs, I have accepted a Graduate Quantity Surveying position within AECOM in central London. Employers have been really interested in my time in France and my placement has given me a lot to talk about in interviews. My experience working in a multi-national environment has also been viewed favourably. It shows I’m a good communicator and can work well as part of a team."