What's your job about?
A large sector of what Fulton Hogan is currently doing is delivering water and wastewater infrastructure projects in Auckland Region in collaboration with Watercare Services. Through this collaboration, I am given the chance to be part of the Watercare Enterprise Model Project – Hays Creek Transmission, Papakura Water Supply. The project involves the installation of new Chambers and 508mm Concrete Lined Steel Watermain pipes at a total length of 1.5km.
In this project, I am responsible on organizing the procurement of materials by a forward-thinking approach. One of my responsibilities involves supervising the quality testing, maintaining quality records and signing off quality check sheets as per Watercare standards specifications. I am also responsible for liaising with subcontractors, booking resources and equipment and issuing necessary documentation such as permits which are all required to support the ground team with their tasks. Checking to make sure that all the necessary Health and Safety controls are in place before any work is to start and that these controls are in place until the completion of work.
On a daily, I constantly make sure to spend time on-site. As this is the most important task in my job. Checking on the ground crew and seeing how the work is progressing supports me with my other responsibilities and allows me to keep track of the project's progress.
What's your background?
I was born in Manila, Philippines and moved to New Zealand at the age of 8. Fast forward 14 years later I am now a qualified engineer and is one of Fulton Hogan’s Graduate Engineers for 2022.
To get to where I am today, I first went through some milestones in my life, these include my completion of tertiary studies at Auckland University of Technology and achieving a Bachelor of First Class Honours in Construction Engineering. A profession choice that I made for the simple reason of having an interest in buildings and wanting a career that I will enjoy and feel proud of doing.
Besides my studies, I have also gotten the chance to work with various types of construction companies. This gave me a view of the difference between consultancy and contractors. One was a small consultancy in Christchurch and the other is another large infrastructure company in Auckland. These work experiences have played a key role in getting me where I am today because I got to see how much I enjoy contracting and how I learn better by spending more time on-site.
My current work is the biggest milestone I have to this day, as all the challenging work is finally paying off and I just know that this current chapter in my life will only help me grow more as time goes on and prepare me for the next stage in my career.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
As someone like myself who came into the industry with skills only learnt from university and having no background experience in Water Infrastructure, I believe someone with a different background can do my job. The most useful technical skills one should have to perform my job are basic engineering knowledge, such as the ability to solve simple calculations and read drawing plans. Another characteristic one should have is a can-do attitude and a great interest in continuously learning new things. As I use these the most at work, which help me gain a better understanding and develop my skills further.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
The coolest thing about my job is getting to see the result and seeing something finally coming together that the entire team has been working hard on. It is also cool how in a few years I still get the ability to be able to look back at the work I was part of and see how this helps the community. Moments like this give me a sense of reward and that all the hard work was worth it. It also makes me feel proud to be part of the construction industry and how I made the right choice.
What are the limitations of your job?
For us to reach a good result in our work, there are some limitations we first must take on. First is the amount of energy and effort we put into the work to meet deadlines and achieve milestones. Another limit is taking on multiple responsibilities, as there are moments on-site where multiple works are happening. So, finding time to do documentation work while managing a busy site can sometimes get challenging.
3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...
Go and learn more about the industry than what they teach you in university because the skills you learn from university could be quite different to the work you do in the industry.
Take your time - Entering a new workplace or joining a new team may be scary at the start, but just remember that everything takes time to get used to and learn.
Prioritise your mental health. It is important to remember that good mental health improves your productivity and the type of energy you put into your work will show in the end product.