Five civil engineering projects you could be working on right now

Five civil engineering projects you could be working on right now by Michael Cheary Considering a career in civil engineering? You’re in luck…  The Royal Academy of Engineering estimates that Britain needs more than half a million new engineering graduates by 2020. And with a number of million-pound-plus projects currently in development, there are no shortage of opportunities on the horizon.Not sure which venture is for you? Here are five of the biggest civil engineering projects you could be working on right now:On the road…Contrary to what you may have heard in certain 1980’s film sequels, where we’re going we definitely do need roads.In fact, with the total road length in Great Britain totalling somewhere in the region of 250 thousand miles, the development of improved road systems is an integral part of making our transport infrastructure more reliable.The biggest project in this area is undoubtedly the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme, which aims to relieve congestion, unlock growth and help connect communities in East Anglia and beyond. The government has committed up to £1.5 billion to the project, which gets underway in 2016 and should take four years to complete.The construction will predominantly be undertaken in a joint venture between Costain and Skanska.Honourable mentions: Improvements on the M62, the Road Modernisation plan in London and the Heysham to M6 link (a major road plan 65 years in the making).On the tracks…There are many major rail building and regeneration projects currently underway across the UK, ranging from the highly publicised HS2 high-speed line, through to the new Borders railway in Scotland, the largest domestic railway constructed in Britain for 100 years. However, none are likely to have the impact seen by the new Crossrail line.The 118-kilometre railway line is already well under construction, although it won’t be until 2019 that we see the culmination of the 10 year project. At the peak of construction it’s thought that almost 15,000 workers will b e needed, meaning there are plenty of jobs still out there.When it’s completed, Crossrail will link parts of Berkshire and Buckinghamshire, via central London, to parts of South East London, Essex and Kent. Not only will it ease congestion on busy commuting lines across the capital, it will also be one of Europe’s largest railway and infrastructure construction projects.Your move Crossrail 2…Honourable mentions: HS2, the £294 million new Borders railway in Scotland (connecting Edinburgh and Tweedbank) and the Manchester Victoria Station regeneration project.In the air …When it comes to civil engineering, nothing inspires industry respect quite like bridges.Some of the world’s most iconic bridges are found all across the UK, ranging from Barlow and Hawkshaw’s Clifton Suspension Bridge, the Iron Bridge in Shropshire and Newcastle’s own Tyne Bridge. However, a new icon is about to join the ranks: a third Forth bridge.Constructed in 1882, the original Forth Bridge was a t rue feat of Victorian engineering.  A second bridge was constructed on the site, around nine miles west of Edinburgh, in the 1960s, with the third structure set to complete the impressive trio in the next few years.Officially known as the Queensferry Crossing, the new addition to the East Scottish skyline is a joint venture by members of the Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors consortium (Dragados, Hotchief, American Bridge International and Morrison Construction).It will also be the longest three-tower cable-stayed bridge in the world. How about having that on your CV?Honourable mentions: The Mersey Gateway project, the Thames Gateway Bridge, the M1 Bridge at Lubbesthorpe.Under ground…When it comes to subterranean engineering, there aren’t many bigger projects than the Thames Tideway Tunnel.Often dubbed capital’s new ‘super sewer’, the £4.2 billion development is being undertaken to upgrade London’s current Victorian drainage system, and bring it into the 21st century. The tunnel, which will be 15 miles long and have a capacity of 1.6 million cubic metres, is the biggest infrastructure project ever undertaken by the UK water industry. Construction gets underway in 2016, and 20% of all workers at the site will be from the local workforce. A number of engineering apprenticeships are also available, with 1 in 50 jobs looking to be filled by apprentices.The project aims to be completed by 2023.Honourable mentions: London’s Crossrail (yes, again), HS2.Everything elseProbably on a par with bridges for their ability to impress, the world’s biggest stadiums would be nothing without civil engineering.And although there was an unquestionable rise in construction projects of this nature in the run-up to London 2012, there are still jobs out there for anyone looking to build the next theatre of dreams.The biggest of these is likely to be found in North London, where Tottenham are building a brand-new 56,000-seater stadium from 2017. Other major stadium co nstruction projects include Windsor Park in Northern Island, and the Olympic Stadium improvements being made before West Ham United take up residence.And if constructing the next big home of sporting events isn’t really you’re thing, why not go down the residential route? 300,000 new homes are projected to be needed next year, all across the UK. So there’s really no excuse not to get building.Honourable mentions: The Olympic Stadium redevelopment, Windsor Park in Northern Ireland, Liverpool’s Anfield expansion.Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Career Development Getting Started Self-employment

Clear Writing Becomes Part of Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Clear Writing Becomes Part of Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Clear writing comes from clear thinking. Whether writing an email, a proposal, an article, here’s a simple 4-step test to ask yourself. It’s a must after each completed document before you hit “send.” It is equally important after each paragraph, even each sentence: 1-What am I trying to say? 2-Have I said it in a concise manner? 3-Is it clear to someone reading it for the first time? 4-Why should the reader care; what’s in it for them? This last question is to nudge the reader’s curiosity along to continue reading. The author of “On Writing Well”, William Zinsser, says #4 is to cajole with freshness, or novelty, or paradox, or humor, or purpose with an unusual idea, an interesting fact, or a question something to make the reader smile and linger on what you wrote. He also writes that your writing improves in direct ratio to the number of things you keep out that shouldn’t be there. So this post is a reminder to try and write even the most mundane message in a clear and direct way without being pompous or pretentiousness. That’s where your humanity and warmth will cause people to always want to read what you wrote and will more likely positively respond.

The rise of the working holiday

The rise of the working holiday You might think you’re taking a holiday to get away from it all, but the truth is that connectivity while on the move is an increasingly important consideration for us all. We’ve all heard that the freelance economy is on the up, especially within the UK, where the Office for National Statistics recently recorded a whopping one in seven of the workforce are self-employed. Whether accessing your inbox while abroad or committing to a full work schedule during your annual family break, increasing numbers of us are showing a reluctance to leave the daily grind behind, opting to work remotely whenever possible. Communal workspaces, convenient mobile apps and a greater emphasis on increasing WiFi connectivity across the globe are all helping us to keep on top of the 9 to 5 from far off destinations. Here are just a few of the most popular working holiday options out there. Cruise holidays Communal workspaces on board many modern cruise ships provide the perfect place to get to grips with your emails while out of the office. Countless entrepreneurs have blogged about the merits of  distraction-free work at sea, and many cruise lines have dedicated computer areas if you’re up for collaborating and networking. Major lines are working with leading tech minds to integrate  fast and reliable wireless internet  into their ships, as well as  rethinking their pricing strategies. This is all being done to attract entrepreneurs and businesses to conduct meetings, seminars and thinktank sessions at sea, while discount cruise retailers are making it a more affordable option for those wanting to bring the whole family along. There’s even the opportunity to connect with foreign clients as you travel. After all, there’s nothing stopping you from conducting face-to-face meetings when you touch down in nearby ports. House swaps For many of us, our experience of house swapping fails to go beyond the reaches of our annual screening of The Holiday every festive season. House swaps are a viable option in the real world too however, with websites like Love Home Swap providing opportunities to trade places with likeminded people across the world. Among the many benefits of house swapping is the potential for quick and easy connectivity. Choose to stay somewhere with a home office and you’ll have the freedom to come and go as you please, switching effortlessly between getting to grips with work back at home and living like a local in your new destination. What’s more, house swapping can be a relatively low-cost option for those looking to take a break from everyday life in a pinch. Camping breaks Think of a holiday that benefits from all the mod cons needed to work away from home, and camping probably couldn’t be further from your mind. It’s still possible to find traditional campsite holidays where sleeping on the floor and sharing one shower with hundreds of fellow visitors are all part of the experience, but all over the world more and more sites and holiday parks are adapting to meet the needs of the working holidaymaker. Companies like Camping Connect are working to install fast connectivity across a number of more secluded leisure facilities, giving guests the option of checking in online while still enjoying all that the outside world has to offer. If you decide to take it one step further, there’s also the option of exploring shared workspaces that are wholly inspired by the outdoors.  Have you ever considered taking a working holiday? If so, what are your top tips for getting away from it all while still keeping your finger on the pulse?