The senior site manager at Knights Brown on his love of working in construction and why the industry needs to do more to attract school leavers.
How did you get into construction? What else would you have done?
I entered the industry when I left school, joining a City and Guilds apprenticeship in bricklaying. I didn’t know what I wanted to do at the time. My father told me to go and get a trade whilst I was deciding what I wanted to do. This way I would always have something solid to fall back on.
Since then I have never looked back; the industry gave me the confidence to achieve more than I ever thought was possible. I attended university to do an HND in Building Studies then a degree in Construction Management. I’ve always been interested in ancient civilisations so if I had my time again I might have become a stonemason or something that involves historic buildings.
What do you love about your job and what are your frustrations with it?
There are so many things that I love and this has grown as my career has evolved. The main ones will be meeting new people from all walks of life, who all have a different story. Just by talking to people you see the pride they have with the some of the projects they have been involved in.
Another part that I love is spending time in schools talking about the industry inspiring the next generation. And also being part of something that makes a difference to people›s lives.
What frustrates me is that it’s not until you have entered the industry that you get to see the opportunities it has to offer. It’s not until children reach school-leaving age that we get involved: we need to do more to catch children’s imagination at an earlier age.
What are your future ambitions?
I would like to be more involved helping promote the industry and help to inspire the next generation of builders.
What do you do in your spare time?
Until recently I used to play basketball, but I’m more an armchair fan now. My time now is usually filled up spending time with family and the garden. I never thought I would get green fingers.
