Final year BSc Civil Engineering student wins award for placement work at BAM Nuttall

Jacob Elliot, a final year student currently studying BSc Civil Engineering at NTU was recently awarded the accolade from his placement employer; BAM Nuttall, working at the Hinkley Point C (HPC) nuclear power station new build site in Somerset.

Jacob worked within the Dig Deep section of the site, consisting of several teams responsible for the excavation works and the handing over of completed platforms to other units within the company. This then allowed subsequent contractors to build the critical foundations to support nuclear related buildings, such as the nuclear reactors raft.

His time over the placement year comprised of working within both the on-site build location and also the office site – which gave Jacob the chance to experience a range of tasks and further develop his skillset beyond his placement year, onto graduation. The more practical based tasks on the role included; setting out, taking as-builts, checking on works progress, briefing works to external stakeholders and also conducting site tours for relevant personnel - for example, the project client.

Jacob’s time in the office was also vitally important on placement, and included a number of different tasks, such as updating AutoCAD drawings, producing temporary works design briefs, compiling data on Excel spreadsheets, updating buried services drawings on AutoCAD as required, and completing check sheets following the QCP (Quality Control Plan).

Jacob on site at Hinkley Point C

Placement year opportunities are vitally important for gaining skills within the workplace, allowing students to get out of the classroom and understand the more practical elements of their course material. Jacob spoke to us about his time on his placement, telling us more about what he learnt over his time; “The placement year offered me a practical experience and new skills in a diverse range of civil engineering practices. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, and I was pleasantly surprised to win the award.”

The awards ceremony where Jacob received his accolade was held at the McMillan theatre in December 2018, and consisted of an evening with the Hinkley Point C senior leadership team, with other nominated employees also in attendance for the various awards available.

Phil Sargent, Principal Lecturer and Civil Engineering Undergraduate Courses Manager at NTU, visited Jacob on site whist on his placement, and chatted to us about his success: “the construction site for Hinkley Point ‘C’ nuclear power station is a massive project – with between 3000 and 5000 people working on it for a multitude of different companies. It is hugely impressive that Jacob was singled out to win the award of ‘Trainee of the Year 2018’ from all those working on the site. When visited by a tutor in May 2018, it was clear that he was thought of very highly by his colleagues and managers: good at his job, keen, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and making significant, positive contributions to the work of his team. Receipt of this award is a notable success for Jacob, and I congratulate him on winning it. I have no doubt that he will go on to become a very good, successful, professionally qualified civil engineer.”