Krishan Bhikha
Krishan Bhikha
BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering
Placement company: VolkerFitzpatrick Ltd
Position: Site Engineer
How did you hear about Civil Engineering at NTU?
"I heard about BEng Civil Engineering when looking through universities, but was most intrigued to find out that NTU have very good ties with industry leaders and subsequently have a very high job-on-graduation rate. Also not many universities offer a placement year as part of the course but NTU did, which was important to me. The strengths of the course are that you learn such a wide variety of skills and different subject areas, not just the number crunching side! It's a very hands-on and satisfying course to do, due to the nature of the way NTU teaches."
Your placement was working on the Olympic Park site, can you explain what your responsibilities were?
"When I first arrived on Olympic Park site, it was a very different and daunting experience from what I was used to. At first I was given the opportunity to take on as much responsibility as I wanted to, which was good because I was not thrown straight in to the mix. As time went on, more and more responsibility was given to me which gave me the opportunity to prove what I was capable of. I got involved primarily with setting out and dealing with the sub-contractors, after which I was responsible for the site waste management plan and writing method statements. I learned many new setting out techniques and also more of the management side of civil engineering."
Has the placement year given you an idea of what you'd like to do after graduation?
"The placement has given me an insight into what I will be expecting from the job in the future, and through talking to senior members of the team, what their job is like. It also puts into perspective your responsibilities as working is a completely new experience for many people and a lot different from 16 plus years of education. As regards a career in construction, I think it has cemented its place as to what I want to do. I enjoy the fact that you are able to physically see what you have achieved at work."
