Activity 7

Interview

1. You are going to listen to a site engineer and a civil engineer speaking about their work.

Do you know?

Chartered engineer is a professional qualification in Engineering (not a degree) offered by professional associations. Examples of such institutions are the Institution of Engineers in India, the Institution of Engineers of Ireland, and the Institution of Electrical Engineers in the UK. Many European countries have similar qualifications (e.g. EurIng) which are considered, under European law, to be equivalent.

Http://www.Ieaust.Org.Au/membership/professional.Html Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Which tasks do you think each of them performs? What skills and abilities does each of them have? In the table below write ST (for site engineer), CE (for civil engineer) and B (for both).

Tasks		Skills		Abilities
- to contact suppliers for materials - to talk to people - to make sure work is completed on time and in budget - to adapt to the demands of specific projects - to make competent decisions - to liaise with different disciplines, such as building services, environmental engineering, hydraulics and geotechnics - to liaise with statutory authority - to supervise sub-contractors - to managing logistics - to liaise with materials and equipment suppliers - to interact with the design teams - to compare plans to the work on site and make adjustments - to be involved with the design of projects		- good communication skills - technical skills - problem-solving skills - good knowledge of the basics of engineering, finance and contracts - an aptitude for the work - analytical thinking skills - knowledge of contract law, accountancy, report writing - technical skills		- to get along with people - creativity - to stay enthusiastic about the job when dealing with problematic situations or people - to be good at solving practical problems - not to get too emotional in difficult situations - to negotiate and manage resources and people - to care about what you do - to be able to step outside difficult situations - to be creative

2. Do you know?

   Listen to the interviews with Jeni and Phil and check if you were right.

A bachelor's degree is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts three or four years. Bachelor of Engineering (BEng or BE) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded to a student after four or five years of studying engineering.

Jeni – Civil engineer

Jeni has worked as a graduate structural engineer for Gifford, an engineering consultancy, for one year. She had already had a year's experience at a smaller design consultancy, also working the field of building structures. She has a BEng in Civil Engineering.

Phil - Site engineer

A master's degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate or graduate course of one to three years in duration. A Master of Engineering (or M.Eng.) degree is a specific master's degree for courses in the field of engineering.

After graduating with an MEng in Civil Engineering, Phil began work as a site engineer for a leading firm of contracting engineers.

3. Decide what other tasks site engineers and civil engineers should perform? What skills and abilities should they have? Activities 2 and 3 above can help you.

4. Jeni and Phil speak about what they value and enjoy most in their jobs. They also give some useful tips for newcomers.

a) Read through their words, fill in the gaps using the prepositions from the box (two of them are extra), then listen again and check your answers.

with (2), over, of (2), as, from (2), in (2), about, to (3)

Jeni:

'Well, I particularly value the experience ___ being involved ___ the total process of a building development… A highlight ___ my career, I think, has been the development of a large office building in Barnsley. I've been involved right ___ the beginning, working ___ the building services engineers and the architect. We've been able to work ___ a team to develop solutions ___ potentially problematic issues, such ___ which materials to use and the best way to build ___ the services and infrastructure. I'm really looking forward ___ seeing my first project completion ___ autumn 2006. That’ll mean I'll have been through the whole process of getting a building ___ conception ___ construction.'

with, to, from, over, at, of, in, out

Do you know?

The main objective of the industrial placement year is to provide undergraduates with an opportunity to apply skills and knowledge acquired during the first two years of studies to practical problems in ‘real-life’ situations. During your year in industry you will gain useful skills which could improve your employment prospects when you graduate. During your placement you must observe and follow the rules and regulations of your employer. These will cover such matters as time keeping, safety regulations, sickness and absence procedures.

http://www.cs.york.ac.uk/admit/Sandwich.php

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/medsci/ugradteaching/course.php?ID=36

Phil:

'I wanted a job that was intellectually demanding, but with an element ___ practical outdoor work and engineering has certainly provided me ____ that. I also like working with people ___ many different backgrounds who all bring particular specialist skills ___ the job. Besides, engineering offers a clear career path, and salary levels have improved ___ the last five years; all ___ all, I think it's a great choice.'

b) Take notes of the tips Jeni and Phil give. Which of them are you most likely to use? Why?

Activity 5 Do you think it’s a good idea to have industrial placement during a year or one-month practical work is enough? Why?/ Why not?

Learning strategy

Generalizing information and sharing your point of view with someone else help you

to develop such skills as critical thinking and active learning and abilities of oral expression

and speech clarity.

Activity 6 This unit starts with the question “What sort of people are civil engineers?”

Cindy, junior, civil and environmental engineering, UC Berkeley, says:

”Civil engineering allows you to think and be creative… We get to solve problems and projects that seem impossible first, but when they’re completed, it’s so cool.”

On the basis of what you have learnt in this unit and what you knew before how would you answer the question above? Give reasons.