Inspire Scholar - Paul Hawkins

Paul Hawkins

Sponsored by ConstructionSkills and Kier Group on the Inspire Scholarship.

What degree are you studying?
BSc Hons Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying at Manchester University.

Why are you attracted to a career in construction?
I've always been interested in getting out on site and Quantity Surveying really appealed because of the mix of the two environments, the office and business side and being able to mix that with time spent out on site. It all really started for me with a two week work experience during school with Emcor Drake & Scull a contractors in Manchester, working there confirmed for me that I wanted a career in the construction industry.

What would your ideal job be?
I'd like to start as a Quantity Surveyor and work my way up to be more of an overall Construction Manager. There are some massive development projects coming up in the UK, so to be able to go to London and work on something like the Olympics would be great. There are so many opportunities to get involved in massive projects like that.

What valuable experiences did you gain from your work placement with your sponsoring company?
It was mainly being able to put to use the skills I learnt at university and learning how to work as part of an integrated team. It's knowing how things are actually done in the work place that I took away with me from my work placement, I found it far more engaging being able to apply the understanding that I'd gained from the lecture theatre.

What do you hope to do in the future?
Graduate with a good degree, financially the scholarship has been a great help, so I'll be able to leave university with very little debt and practical experience. I hope to go on to work in a full time position for Kier, they've been very good to me through university, so I would like to work my way up through that company.