A setback during the pandemic helped Alexander Michael, packed aggregate and macadam site supervisor at Tarmac, find the right career path. He spoke to Nadine Buddoo.
What attracted you to a career in construction?
I have always taken an interest in learning how things work and are constructed. Like many, this started with Lego and Meccano, and later evolved into tinkering with consoles, quad bikes and eventually cars – skills that are very handy in my current role.
One of the biggest tasks many of us decide to take on is the renovation of a house to get on the property ladder. I wanted to do this and, as a result, I went to my local college to learn a variety of trades, with carpentry and bricklaying being the modules I enjoyed the most.
Nine months into the programme, the college had to close due to covid, with no firm reopening date. I knew I had to keep things moving and, while looking through jobs, I came across Tarmac’s graduate scheme, which seemed like the perfect fit. I wanted to be part of a company that manufactures the materials I already had hands-on experience with while studying at college.
What are your main responsibilities?
I arrive on site and conduct a team briefing where I communicate production targets and get feedback from my team. I’m mostly working directly with the team throughout the day to make sure things are running smoothly on the factory floor.
There are a lot of different systems to understand, so having good digital comprehension is crucial to doing my tasks.
What skills and qualifications do you need for your role?
For my current role there no set qualifications are necessary. Being a plant supervisor is arguably more of a skills-based role. Having the ability to prioritise and keep multiple plates spinning is essential.
There’s never a quiet day: machines to run, repair or service, compliance to stay on top of, production to plan, materials and packaging to order and, most importantly, staff to look after.
Showing your team that you care about them is incredibly important, the little things go a long way.
What are your long-term career goals?
The graduate programme has allowed me to learn about many different business functions including logistics, technical, commercial and operations.
Meeting other graduates made me aware of our other teams in rail, geology, marine, asphalt, readymix.
There are so many opportunities within Tarmac. I am open to any future opportunities and I know the company will support my development to become a manager that can make a difference.
