Capita Symonds - Meet our people

Meet our people

Lucy, 28

Qualifications: MEng Civil Engineering, Design & Management APMP Practitioner

Start date: March 2006

Background:

After studying civil engineering at University I did a Masters Degree that combined civil engineering with management studies, as I knew that this was an area that I wanted to understand more about and work towards.

On leaving University in 2001 I worked as a graduate engineer for a consulting firm, working on a variety of projects on highway and drainage design.

In 2005 I had the opportunity to take up a new role as Producer of 'The Civil Engineers Channel', producing training videos for civil engineers covering a range of construction topics. This role was ideal for me as it allowed me to stay in the industry and up to date with latest technologies and projects, yet allow me to take a step back from the design aspects and have a broader, more holistic view of each project. For each video I researched, wrote scripts and interviewed the project team. This meant I visited a huge number of sites and met a vast number of people on exciting schemes such as the Emirates Stadium, Heathrow Terminal 5 and the Paddington Bridge Project.

It soon became clear to me that of all the roles within construction, project management excited me as an area to work in. I loved the idea of seeing the overall picture of a project and wanted to help shape a team so that they work together towards a common goal.

Why Capita Symonds?

I joined Capita Symonds because I was excited by the range of projects it worked on and - being new to project management - it was important for me to know that there was a variety of work available. My initial role was as bid coordinator which enabled me to meet people from all disciplines around Capita Symonds and helped me get a clearer picture of where I wanted to be and what sort of work I wanted to do.

What project(s) are you working on at the moment?

I am currently working on Finzels Reach, a prominent 2.30 hectare new waterside development in the centre of Bristol.

I'm part of the project management team, working closely with the client and design team. My role is continually developing and I am currently working on the procurement strategy for the development. When the main construction works start in February 2008 this role will develop into Contract Administer for the project.

What opportunities have you had to train and develop your skills at Capita Symonds?

Even before I officially joined Capita Symonds I enrolled on its Association of Project Managers Practitioners (APMP) course. This lasted six months and I passed my exams in June 2006. The course covered the fundamental aspects of project management and has been an essential tool for me since.

My training and development needs are discussed at each of my reviews and these are discussed with our Training Coordinator who has created a training 'shopping list' for me. If an additional specific training need is required between these the training has always been made available to me. I have been on a Microsoft Project course, and had NEC Contracts and CDM training.

My career development is also discussed to ensure it is moving in the way I want It to. In my experience, Capita Symonds has been very responsive in listening to and acting on my development requests. One example of this is being able to transfer from the London office to a project based in Bristol after I requested I wanted to move to Bristol.

Within my project, I will continue to take on more responsibility and am confident that any training and support I need along the way is available to me.