We caught up with Joyce Adams, BSc student at St Mary’s University of Twickenham, to see what she had to say about Gement and construction as an industry after going through one of our programmes.
Hey Joyce, thanks for being here today. How have you found the programme?
It’s been great. It’s really opened my mind into how many options I have when I graduate. I never would have expected this when I started.
That’s great to hear! What was your opinion about construction before this programme?
I have to be honest, I felt like I didn’t have an opinion on the industry, to be honest. I guess part of that was because I had no idea what the industry even was and partly because I never felt myself fitting in … I really didn’t feel like there was a place for me there.
Wow, that’s quite a bleak opinion! What made you think that?
I guess it’s a common opinion with young people who don’t take engineering or construction degrees. We’ve never been told anything about construction and the only thing I knew about the industry was builders in hard hats working outside. At university, there are so many events where you can find out more about the jobs available in finance or technology companies, but I’ve never seen anything about construction before and I guess in that sense the industry hasn’t been portrayed well to students, I’m sure my friends would have the same opinion as me on this.
Well I’m glad your opinion has now changed! What were the best things at the programmes at Gement?
I liked that I got to see all the types of roles available and I even got to speak to women in these roles. It was really cool to see all the new ideas and techy stuff going on in the industry which I didn’t realise was possible. I think overall it gave me a different perspective into something I didn’t even realise existed. I thought you needed an engineering or construction degree to work in the industry but there are so many jobs available for students who don’t have science degrees. If I was a 2nd year student again I would have definitely signed up for a summer internship.
What do you wish other people knew about construction and the work we do at Gement?
It’s more interesting than you think and what you do know probably only touches the tip of the surface into what actually happens! If you see a workshop run by Gement at your university, I would 100% recommend going to see what careers are possible for you.
