My slightly unorthodox Ph2/3
It’s nearly November and I guess most people are starting to get towards the end of their site phase and are looking forward to a bit of leave and then the design phase (hopefully one or two people are thinking about growing a moustache). Early on in my attachment I decided to try something a bit different and sought to combine both Phase 2 and Phase 3 into one Phase 2.5. There were a couple of key drivers for this:
- The project is due to complete in June 2017, so I would be able to see the services element of the project from design development, to installation and through to commissioning and handover.
- When I joined the project there was still a significant element of design development going on: everything from high level services coordination and clash prevention, to user workshops to refine whole room layouts and to finalise designs for key elements within the clinical spaces. This meant that there was initially very little on-site activity for services but it also gave me exposure to some of the design competencies very early on.
- The services manager on the project wholeheartedly embraced the concept of the attachment and was able to organise attachments with subcontractors and consultants in order for me to gain exposure to detailed design concepts, requirements and software.
- The possibility of an extended secondment to Multiplex’s head office to work within the New Projects Department for exposure to the commercial and contractual elements of tendering and resourcing multi-million dollar projects. This has recently been confirmed and will be timed to coincide with the production of my draft thesis.
So far everything has been running fairly to plan – below is a snapshot of these I think I will be come the end of my Ph2.5.
I have highlighted the B competencies in the chart as I believe that of the 5 areas, the design will be my weakest come Ph4 and I will be relying heavily on the experiences gained during my 18 months working in an Oil and Gas design office before joining the army, the design development work from the St George Hospital Project and the short secondments to subcontractors and consultants.
Despite possibly leaving me slightly exposed in the B competencies, I believe that the experience of seeing a project from start to finish will greatly out-weigh the lack of detailed design experience. And I guess if I am wrong then I will just have to come back to Oz and give it another go!
Holdfast Training Services Trial Blog 
Hi James,
A few observations if I may. Whilst it is great to see the project through and the advantages which that presents, don’t get too blinkered with what’s right in front of you.
Of course BM will happily want to keep you on, even if in a new role/capacity, as you present good value for money. Be wary of promises, ensure you get something in writing to enable you to fulfill and meet your outstanding competencies.
I think your IMechE submission will look stronger, more rounded and complete by moving to a new organisation and everything else that brings, not to mention a better chance of hitting the design competencies you need. Also remember your CV / linked-in profile. At the end of the course it might look better having experienced more than one recent civilian company, irrespective of what you may have done prior to joining the Army – combined it makes you a more rounded employee / prospective employee.
Finally, there are many more opportunities that will present themselves if you move to a dedicated design office and all of a sudden your search for tasks that fulfill particular competencies will fall in to place.
Also don’t forget / underestimate the workload presented by the thesis – you don’t want to be getting drawn in to late nights on site to make sure the installation or commissioning of something you are responsible for is going as planned at the detriment of your thesis.
Ultimately you need to convince the PEW that your wish to stay with BM is the right thing to do from a holistic point of view.
This is clearly based on my experience and to be honest I couldn’t wait to leave John Holland Group. I don’t understand the intricacies of your project or relationship with BM so you may be right but just thought I’d add my own observations. Anyway good luck with which ever way it goes.