Paula - Environmental Team

Paula

After graduating in 2001 I spent some time working in mines. I made the move to civil engineering for practical reasons – I just felt mining was too remote. I ended up joining The Horizon Alliance in January 2007.

My day consists of going out on site, checking environmental controls and ensuring compliance with environmental legislation. I’d say my time is split 50/50 between on site and working in the office, where I concentrate on administration such as organising environmental permits and training. It’s this balance between the action of site work and general office work I find the most rewarding.

I’d never worked as part of an alliance before so was unsure what to expect. I’m pleased to say I’m finding it really exciting. You get to meet lots of new people, not the same old people on site day in day out. This gives you every opportunity to learn different ways of doing things. Due to the nature of the Alliance you also get exposure to more than just construction, you have involvement in design and access to specialist departments, which for my role is great.

Working on such a big project allows for so many different experiences. It’s hard to find such a broad range of knowledge across both road and rail; it’s what makes the Alliance so unique. It’s been a great career move as I have access to so many different people, you get the feeling that there’s a real chance of progression. In fact, after this project I’ll feel like I can take on anything.