Adam Landreth-Smith

What company do you work for and what do they do? 

I work for BAM Nuttall, a Civil Engineering contractor, who work mainly on big buildings. 

Tell us a bit more about what you do.

My roles is a Section Engineer, so I work on a particular part of the project by 'setting out' the plan of the building and where all the parts are going to go so that the builders can build them. I'll then go in and check that it's all correct. 

How did you get into construction? 

I did A-levels, but didn't do as well as I wanted, but I was still able to go to university and get my degree in Civil Engineering. 

What do you love about your job? 

Every day is different, with new challenges to solve. I get to watch big buildings being built and learn all about them. I spend as much time as I can outside (when it's sunny) but also have organising to do in the office (when it rains!). 

The best days are when something you have been planning for a while happens, like a huge crane comes to lift something in place, or a concrete pump comes to do a concrete pour that may take several hours to complete. 

I also really enjoy speaking to everyone on site, and learning more about their roles and what they do on site - there are all sorts! 

Where do you want your career to take you? 

If I get promoted, I'd become a Project Manager instead of being a Section Engineer, and then I'd get to make all the important decisions on the building site. I'd also like to work on other types of structures, from bridges to tunnels, dams, skyscrapers, railways, roads, stadiums and more! 

What advice would you give to someone thinking about a career in construction? 

If you like variety, working in a big team, organising, occasionally getting messy, a little bit of maths and general problem solving, then Civil Engineering could be the career for you, as it can give you that tools to be the best at all of those. There is always more to learn, and you get rewarded for making yourself the best version of you that you can be. 

I had decided in Year 9 that I wanted to go into Civil Engineering, and even though my A-level results were pretty poor, I still managed it. There are so many ways that you can get into construction; it doesn't always have to be via university. An apprenticeship scheme is great because you don't have the financial debt to worry about afterwards, like you do with university. 

In my experience you always get as far as how hard you are willing to work.