Inspire Scholar - James Cant

James Cant

Sponsored by ConstructionSkills and Carillion on the Inspire Scholarship.

What degree are you studying?
MEng Civil Engineering at Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh.

Why are you attracted to a career in construction?
I've always wanted to build things. I have been interested in buildings and large structures from an early age and have always looked at the architecture around me and wanted to be a part of making that happen.

What attracted you to your course?
I talked to career's advisors and they suggested that Civil Engineering would be the best way to get into the construction industry with my preference for physics, maths and also geography. For me it's was the appeal of being able to get involved and have an influence over the building process.

What valuable experiences did you gain from work placement with your sponsoring company?
I learnt a huge amount on my work placement about subjects that we had only just started to cover at university, so I am already ahead of the game now starting my second year. I was also able to learn some of the more important do's and don'ts on site, the way things work and where everything is, being able to put into practice the things we were learning at university in theory really brought the process to life.

What would your ideal job be?
I would like to be part of the construction team building an iconic structure, like the Emirates Stadium or the Olympics Village, something that will be widely recognised - if I could say I was a part of that it would be amazing.