Assistant Commercial Manager Review

I have really enjoyed my work placement with Mace. I came into the industry without a great deal of experience, but being able to work behind the scenes on a live construction site from the very start of the on-site works has provided me with invaluable knowledge of the construction process - it is something I could not have gained at university without experiencing it for myself. It has also given me a huge insight into the different types of construction projects, I am now so much more aware of how build, fit-out, asset replacement and MEP projects are all managed by project teams who have so much knowledge and who specialise in certain types of construction.

On my work placement I was treated like a genuine employee of the Company, rather than just a ‘student’ on a placement year. When I was trusted enough to be given bigger responsibilities and tasks to undertake, on completion, I would be told "That's great" or "Brilliant, Thank you", such small gestures of appreciation really showed how valued I was to the team, and the importance of the work I was doing, which really helped me to integrate into the team.

My line managers and team were all really supportive when I first started and were more than happy to help me out if I had a question, or if I didn't fully understand something. They always made sure to include me in meetings, take me out on site, or sit and show me different things to make sure that I was learning as much as I could about the project and the role, which, as a result aided my learning.

The majority of days I was very busy, I was always given tasks to complete by my line manager. Some days there are lots of tasks I need to get done, others, 1 big task which can take a couple of days; but never more than I could handle or take on by myself, as a team we would divide up what needed to be done each week. On some occasions I found that there are some days where I found myself completely on top of the tasks I had to complete, and was not so busy.

Throughout my placement year I was given lots of responsibility, this responsibility increased in importance and quantity as the year progressed. I found myself going from simply asking to help input figures into monthly reports to being able to complete the entire report by myself, I really valued the chance to be independent. Some other responsibilities I had were compiling Sub-Contractor construction contracts and commercially managing some of the sub-contract packages (such as builders work, steelwork and scaffolding) which involved change management and weekly progress reviews.

The knowledge I have gained on this year’s placement year, will aid me in my final year on studies when I begin writing my dissertation, I am now aware of so many more potential topics and areas of interest (some of which I would have never before considered). The skills I have learnt will also help me to easily settle back into working life upon leaving university, as I am already familiar with the processes and procedures that Mace have in place. I am now fully aware of the role and what it entails, which will help me to become a more established professional in the future.

The atmosphere in my office was brilliant, all of the Mace staff were so welcoming when I first started, which helped me to settle in straight away, I couldn’t have asked to be placed with a friendlier group of people. Everyone on my team is very hardworking but they are all still able have fun and socialise, keeping good working relationships with each other, the client and our site operatives.

The HR team were very well organized from the outset. From my interview, I was quick to hear back about being offered the position on the placement scheme; the HR team then remained in touch, organising a pre-start welcome event, calling during the first week to see how I was settling in and organising other events through the year to make sure that we gained as much from the year as we could, they were very supportive.

Mace are very supportive in offering training to aid your professional growth and proficiency. In each role within Mace there are different types of training that should be undertaken, some of which are compulsory, others are simply beneficial on a personal level. I found that if there was any training (internal or external) on a topic I felt I did not know very well (e.g. NEC Contracts) that I thought would help me, then Mace were more than willing to let me attend.

The employment prospects within Mace are great, I hope to return to Mace on the Graduate Scheme following the completion of my degree in June 2017. Within Mace, once you have experience and knowledge behind you and are competent in the role you are doing; you can move from project to project, and can easily transfer between sectors if you so wish, there is lots of opportunity for growth.

The social scene was great, myself and the other placement students all stayed in contact from day one, we organised times to meet up and other nights out in London to get to know each other better and socialise. On a project level, the team organised nights out every couple of months to celebrate the project achievements so far and to relax and enjoy themselves. It was great fun!

Being based at Heathrow I was fortunate enough to be able to continue living at home, but as the Head Office is in London, many students opt to live in or just outside of London, which can be a really expensive area to rent in. The same applies for socialising, most social activities in London are also fairly expensive, but that is to be expected in central London.

As I worked at Heathrow Airport, there wasn’t anything to do nearby. However we could easily get into Central London in just 20 minutes, where there are loads of different places to go. Nightlife in London is brilliant, always lots of places open, fun things to do with different areas of the city to explore.

There are loads of things to get involved with outside of work. Mace provide lots of opportunities for volunteering, charity work as well as things such as sports teams etc, which are really fun things to get your team involved with as a bonding opportunity! Aside from this London is full of different options of things to do from social events to sporting events!