As one of the region’s leading construction companies Surgo Construction (Surgo), is proud to be offering work experience opportunities to young people.
Sixteen-year-old Finlay Blight has been fortunate to work as part of the existing team at Surgo, gaining hands-on experience for a week, on-site and at the firm’s HQ.
This is how he described his work experience….
MONDAY
“On my first day at Surgo, I felt nervous, but soon after I was introduced to the team – I felt more confident about the week ahead. Bernie the human resources manager gave me the low-down on what the company does. I was situated in estimating for my first day and got to work using the scale rule to find out the area of buildings and was busy entering the costs. I enjoyed working out the area of the buildings most as it was less repetitive than entering the rates.”
TUESDAY
“On Tuesday I was with the quantity surveying team and learnt all about how many stakeholders can have an impact on the business contract. I enjoyed this as I also got to go on-site to learn about the chain of people involved in the quantity surveying process and how it works. It was interesting to learn about the site and the process of calculating and managing the costs.”
WEDNESDAY
“After spending a few days in the office, I was based outside all day at the Swan Hunters site in Wallsend. I was with the site-manager Michael Brayson, who showed me around the site and explained about all the individual jobs. It was good to learn about the effects of asbestos and why it is important to ensure the site is always safe for staff.”
THURSDAY
“Thursday was spent in the planning department where, I learnt how important it was to carry out planning in advance. It was interesting using Microsoft Excel to plan out how the site will look and where the nearest emergency hospital, supermarkets, schools and other facilities would be.”
FRIDAY
“On Friday, I felt a lot more confident and reassured than I did on Monday. My main challenge during the week was planning. I struggled with it at first but became more aware of what I was doing throughout the day. I’ve worked in a number of different departments throughout the week which has given me the opportunity to learn a range of skills. I would now consider a career on construction and think I would prefer to be based on-site, as sitting behind a desk is not for me. I would definitely recommend work experience at Surgo to anyone who is thinking about a career in construction. The week isn’t specific to one job and it broadens your choices – it’s also a good thing to put on your CV and something to talk about when you apply for university.”
Jeff Alexander, director, at Surgo said:
“We are proud to offer such varied and interesting training opportunities for young people. Work experience allows people to gain real-world skills, providing them with the attitude to build successful careers.
“I would urge other businesses to offer work experience placements if they aren’t already. It’s a great way of addressing the current skills shortage that is facing the construction industry and enables young people to discover their options for future employment.”