Trainee Civil Engineer Review

Duties would differ week by week as some weeks were full of activity on site, but others were reticent on the civil engineering side; it would be to assist the assistant and site engineers with setting out, document creation and management, and learning and using software, including Civil 3D, AutoCAD and BIM360. One of the main activities with ground remediation projects was testing for strength (CBR), and contamination tests were taken. I assisted those contractors by representing BAM, taking records of results, and scouting positions ideal for testing.

At certain times, I definitely would confirm with someone responsible after completing tasks where I could learn from mistakes or improvements. One was the risk assessment for a significant section of the work package, which was done well. Still, when I asked it to get reviewed by an assistant engineer, I was taught about the need for specificity and a certain level of language where it was direct but not too general (realistic for many if the activities).

Many skills were learnt and solidified in the role, mainly engineering methods and terminology; university teaches a lot of stuff but doesn't have a significant amount of practice, and being able to use GPS/GNSS and Total Station surveying techniques solidified those. But completely unrelated (to university) stuff was learnt, including different types of soil testing and setting out techniques. Another thing I learnt was how contracts work between client and contractor as well as contractor and subcontractor, given delays, etc..

Thankfully, the project wasn't too busy, so if I needed assistance from any assistant and site engineer, it was possible, sometimes even with Sub-Agents. This wasn't only on engineering but career advice (from their experience).

The company culture was positive, and the atmosphere was pleasant; sometimes, someone would say or react negatively about a task they were given, but overall, it was easy to separate from those and see the positive side. I was reminded a few times that many projects are not as 'laid back' as this one.

There were two separate sites in the project, so there was always something exciting going on, allowing me to learn new concepts and skills. One of the most exciting parts was during the last few weeks (and I extended my placements by two weeks to see it). It was the installation of a U-Tube (cables and services) at the bottom of a river bed where the river would need to be diverted using a dam to stop the water flow and pumps/pipes to redirect the flow. Many different things were happening at once, but I found that most enjoyable as there was a lot of setting up and surveying.

Yes