At Suttle Projects, we’re passionate about giving the next generation of civil engineers the opportunity to gain genuine, hands-on experience in the industry.
Every year our Managing Director, Joe Paine, and Technical Director, Alistair Maidman, visit several universities to share their experience of the civil engineering and piling industries with students. It was during one of their annual lectures at Plymouth University that Amy first heard about Suttle Projects, and it ultimately led her to apply for an industrial placement with us.
Fast forward a year, and Amy has now completed her placement, having worked across a range of projects and experienced many of the different roles and responsibilities involved in working in civil engineering.
From spending time on site as a setting-out engineer at Supermarine Quay, to carrying out a topographical survey and producing designs for the Bedminster Green Regeneration project, Amy was given the opportunity to put her university learning into practice and contribute to live projects.
Her testimonial below provides a fantastic insight into her experience with us including the challenges she encountered, the skills she developed and the confidence she gained throughout the year.
Amy’s experience is also a great reflection of what we aim to offer our placement students. This year, we have four undergraduate placement students working with us, each gaining experience across different areas of the business and getting the opportunity to see how projects develop from design through to completion.
As we look ahead to next year, we’ll be looking for more undergraduate placement students to join us. We hope Amy’s experience gives students considering a placement an idea of the opportunities that are available and what they could take away from a year with us at Suttle Projects.
Here’s Amy’s full reflection on her placement year:
“I have had the privilege of undertaking an industrial placement year with Suttle Projects, and it has been an experience that I have thoroughly enjoyed. Throughout the year, I have had the opportunity to experience many of the different roles and responsibilities involved in working for a contracting company. One of the things I have enjoyed most is the variety of work I have been able to get involved with. One day I could be in the office producing designs using software such as CAD, Civil 3D and Repute, and the next I could be out on site setting out and watching a project come together in front of me.
I have been fortunate enough to be involved in a variety of different projects and take on several different roles working with some incredible people, but two experiences that particularly stood out to me were the Supermarine Quay and the Bedminster Green River projects.
- Supermarine Quay: I spent time on site working as a setting-out engineer. This was one of my favourite parts of the placement because it allowed me to experience what it is really like to work on a live construction site. It also taught me that things do not always go to plan. Problems can arise unexpectedly, and I quickly learnt that being able to adapt, stay calm and think on your feet is extremely important when working on site. It was a valuable experience that helped me become more confident in dealing with problems and working independently.
- Bedminster Green Restoration: For this project, I completed a topographical survey of a section of the riverbank. I then imported the survey into Civil 3D and used the data to produce a drawing of the existing riverbank. From this, I was able to produce a design for the transition between Plot 3, where we were working on the river, and Plot 5, the area next to our site. I particularly enjoyed this project because I was able to see the whole design process from start to finish. I collected the data myself, processed it and then used it to produce something that could actually be used for the project. This gave me a much better understanding of how important accurate survey data is and made me appreciate the process much more than I would have if I had simply been given the data to work with. There were a few other things I did for this project such a phasing plan and site layout drawing and the kiosk design drawings which I will unfortunately not see come together but am wishing them all the best for the completion of this project.
Working at Suttle Projects was never boring, and I am really grateful for the opportunities I was given throughout the year. I was able to get involved in so many different parts of the company, which has given me a much better understanding of the industry and what working within it is actually like. The placement has allowed me to develop both my technical and practical skills, but more importantly, it has given me a lot more confidence in my own abilities.
Looking back on the year, I feel that I have learnt a huge amount, both professionally and personally. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Suttle Projects and I am very grateful to everyone who took the time to involve me, teach me and give me the opportunity to experience so many different aspects of the industry.”