Building Services Engineer - Craig Hanton

Craig Hanton,
Age 18

Qualifications
HNC in Business Services Engineering

What encouraged you to join the construction industry?
At high school every week we used to have "Get ready for work" careers events, whereby someone would come into school and give a talk on their specialist trade. It was after an electrician came in and explained the job and what it involved that I thought a similar thing would suit me.

What do you do day-to-day?
I get involved in document control, assisting the engineers with wherever necessary, getting quotes and calling suppliers. It's a really involved hands-on job and my time is often split between on-site and in the office.

Can you give an example of any recent projects you have been working on?
I am currently working on a £330 million project involving the build of 4 new schools in the South Lanarkshire area.

Good bits and bad bits about your job?
The best bits about my job are the variety that's involved, I get to work both in the office and on-site which is nice mix. I'm lucky to have great colleagues and work environment. The early starts are the worst bits about the job, but other than that there's nothing I really dislike.

What surprised you about the construction industry?
I am surprised by the amount of people involved in the bid process and the size and scale of projects being built. It always makes me really proud to be able to walk down the road and point out things that I have helped to build.

Where would you like to take your career in the future?
I would ideally like to move towards becoming a project engineer, or project management role which would mean getting more involved with overseeing the whole process including interviewing and employing labour and project costs and schedules.

If you were to recommend your job to someone else, what would you say?
It's a great job for someone who doesn't want to spend 3-4 years at University. An apprenticeship guarantees you a job at the end of it and allows you to get great experience whilst you are learning and I think ensures you are better qualified because you really putting into practice all that you learn during your time at college. I've also been able to build up good contacts during my apprenticeship which will stand me in good stead for future career developments and work opportunities.