Andy Carson has been in the building trade for 20 years, starting as a labourer and then doing a City and Guilds apprenticeship in Carpentry. He was a Site Manager at 21 ranging from prisons, banks and Royal Households including Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace (Royal Rose Gardens) and Kensington Palace (refurbishment).
He joined Berkeley Homes in 1997 as a Site Manager at Jacob's Island near Tower Bridge and then Globe Wharf in Rotherhithe before moving to the Royal Arsenal site at Woolwich.
Andy is currently the Construction Manager with responsibility to oversee all construction work at Royal Arsenal.
Why did you want to work in the building trade?
I followed my father into the industry and soon realised that I had
an aptitude for it.
What do you do?
I liaise with all the sub-contractors to ensure that they are meeting targets and keeping up Berkeley Homes' standards.
It is ultimately my responsibility to ensure that safety is paramount on the site. If I see anyone breaching Health and Safety rules, they will be warned or removed from the site, depending on the severity of the error.
I also sit in meetings to discuss various commercial and technical issues such as budgets and design.
I also have to control and oversee my managers who do the day-to-day liaising with subcontractors and suppliers.
What three things do you need to do your job well?
Be hardworking, organised and disciplined.
What are your hours / wages like?
I usually start work at 6.30am and finish around 6pm.
People associate builders with low wages but when you work your way up, the salary is very comfortable.
What qualifications do you have?
I have been in the building trade for 20 years, starting as a labourer
and then doing a City and Guilds apprenticeship in carpentry. I was
a site manager at 21 ranging from prisons, banks and Royal Households
including Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace (Royal Rose Gardens) and
Kensington Palace (refurbishment).
I joined Berkeley Homes in 1997 as a site manager at Jacob's Island near Tower Bridge and then Globe Wharf in Rotherhithe before moving to the Royal Arsenal site at Woolwich.
What's your advice to would-be Site Managers?
You have to be prepared to work extremely hard, listen and learn quickly,
putting safety and high standards at the top of your list of priorities.
And finally...
The building industry is a vibrant and varied career to pursue. The
rules and regulations and the working conditions have changed dramatically
since I started, and more women are getting involved.
We still need to encourage more people to work in the building trade, though. It has been unfashionable for a few years, but the rewards are huge, with a huge sense of achievement in seeing something transform from a barren piece of land or a dilapidated building into someone's home.
