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Tips on using this forum..

(1) Explain your problem, don't simply post "This isn't working". What were you doing when you faced the problem? What have you tried to resolve - did you look for a solution using "Search" ? Has it happened just once or several times?

(2) It's also good to get feedback when a solution is found, return to the original post to explain how it was resolved so that more people can also use the results.

A start on site or in an office

4 replies [Last post]
Sun, 2009-05-17 14:27
David Collinson
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Joined: 3 Mar 2006
Posts: 6
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Has anyone any idea how I may get my son a start on site or in an office near Sunderland/South Shields.
He is 18, has got decent GCSE’s, is very computer literate and knows the basics of a plan/programme.
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Replies

Sat, 2009-06-06 22:49
#1
Tom Hadley
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Joined: 2 Mar 2004
Posts: 41
Groups: Building Information Modelling, Planning, Claims & Contracting, The GrapeVine
Hi
I am in Australia but was educated in the UK with GCE O and A levels, an ordinary national certificate and a degree in Civil Engineering from Cardiff University. Most of my planning skills have been learned the "hard way " on the job. The situation has changed a bit though.
My recommendation if your son wants to get into construction/engineering/project planning is to do a technical college course in a trade and or project management. In Australia we have national competency standards and tech’ course to match. Not sure if that is the case in the UK now. Another person on this site suggested doing work experience with a planner I think that is a good idea!
Lastly please make sure that you are not confusing "planning", dealt with on this site with urban or town planning, they are different. We do not deal with town/urban planning on Planning Planet .
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Tue, 2009-05-19 18:09
#2
Michael Ridino
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Joined: 21 Apr 2009
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David,

One piece of advice that really helped me excel was to learn the latest and greatest software (P6 in the US) to its full extent. Next, find an experienced planner/scheduler who is making the switch from an older software to the newest one. Use what you know to help them, even if it is only with software or IT questions. Even help them fix a computer problem. Eventually they will start to rely on you and you can pick their brain for real scheduling/planning knowledge.

When I started out 3 years ago I didn’t know what FRP stood for but I could search Primavera’s Knowledgebase better than any one else.

It can be interesting to be a young person in this profession.

Mike
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Tue, 2009-05-19 06:38
#3
Neil Tait
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Joined: 31 Jan 2001
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David - If he’s red & white and can take flak then he should drop in and have a word with Ricky at the Stadium of Light as I believe he is need of some planning expertise. OK that was a joke - I have to work with a mak’um.

I can’t add much more than Chris, but I would advise that he needs to target and penetrate the medium to bigger companies if he wants planning specific work as there is a limit to scope and extent of planning undertaken by the smaller outfits.

I’m hoping that your son is looking at this as a summer / experience job before getting into full time study. I’m also hoping someone with a job to offer reads this as I reckon personal contacts are the main way to get a job right now.
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Tue, 2009-05-19 03:16
#4
Chris Oggham
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 605
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Hi David,

You certainly know how to ask awkward questions. There is no straightforward answer to this; it’s a really difficult time at the moment with the recession hitting the industry. Experienced planners are accepting pay cuts in order to retain their jobs, Many are losing their jobs, so this might not be the best time for someone with very little experience to try to get into the profession.

You mention that your son has got decent GCSEs, has he taken, or is he planning to take his A levels? It might be better to wait until he gets those results before committing to a course of action.

However, if he is determined to try, what he will need to do is chase every suitable job opportunity; not everything remotely connected with planning, but the ones he can do now, or grow into within three months. This will mean checking local and national press for potential jobs, checking with the Job Centre, and websites like JobSearch. He might also find the jobs advertised in PM Hut a help, although a lot of these are out of his location.

Additional things he could do is join Planning Planet and register with the recruiters here. Reading some of the requirements of jobs currently being advertised will also help to give him a feeling for the way he needs to develop his own knowledge and experience.

It’s not going to be an easy task, he’ll get knocked back a lot of times with no guarantee of success at the end of it. In the present financial climate, your son might be better advised to take a job he’s comfortable with for the time being, and wait until the situation eases a bit before breaking into planning. Whatever the course of action, it will be one your son decides for himself, and if he’s anything like mine, he’ll find that a satisfying experience in itself.

I’m sorry if I sound a bit of a wet blanket, but even though there are some signs of recovery, it’s still not a good time to try and break into planning.

Chris Oggham
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