Scott first joined Red7Marine on a summer placement following his first year at university. Scott is studying Civil Engineering at Nottingham Trent University and has shared his insight into what a placement year within Red7Marine entails and what he hopes to gain from the experience.
“Soon after arriving at the Red7Marine office I realised just how valuable gaining industry experience would be to my development and longterm career. Personally I don’t think that there is any substitute for getting the opportunity to apply what you learn in the lecture halls to real life situations.
I joined Red7Marine’s engineering department for my placement year. My role is incredibly varied, I work across multiple projects and assist the team in providing effective solutions for clients. When I’m based in the office I carry out stability calculations for the varying fleet of jack up barges, site assessments, risk assessments and method statements, along with general project work to help ensure jobs are running smoothly.
When out on site, I perform and manage the setting out of structures and the positioning of the Red7Marine jack up barges. This involves using surveying equipment and applying my knowledge gained at university to real life situations. My role has recently involved conducting investigation work into one of the barges to see if the plant can be used and applied to a wider range of working environments. I also liaise with clients on a daily basis via email and over the phone.
This opportunity has allowed me to grow my skillset, develop confidence in dealing with challenging projects and build important relationships with clients and colleagues. My communication skills have also improved, more specifically how to adapt my style of communication depending on who I am speaking to. I have also learnt to manage an increasingly larger workload and prioritise different tasks in accordance with deadlines and changes in plans. Gaining experience on site has also helped me to build on my surveying and setting out expertise.
One of the highlights so far has been working on site for the Galloper Pontoon Facility Project. During this project I was given the integral role of setting out most of the marine works. I was pleased to have been trusted with the position and have thoroughly enjoyed managing engineering aspects of projects both in an office and site setting.
CEO of Red7Marine, Nick Offord, Comments: “Scott has been a real asset to the business during his placement year. As a business we are dedicated to finding talented, committed individuals and helping them to hone their skills. In the construction industry we often talk about skill shortages, however through opportunities such as placement years, apprenticeships and training schemes we are able to identify talented individuals and ensure that the next generation is able to acquire the skills that we as an industry are in need of.”
