It’s hard to remember a time when he wasn’t a part of Howard Civil Engineering’s Senior Management Team, but when James Page joined us as a fresh-faced 23 year old in 2005, he was simply working on the tools as a groundworker.

We caught up with James to see how he views his 18 years at Howard Civil Engineering, and why he’s excited about the construction industry’s newest generation.

Why did you decide to join Howard Civil Engineering?

I worked for another civil engineering company with Steve Poulson (Project Manager) and unfortunately they went bust about three years after I started with them. Steve used to work with Mick (Howard, Managing Director) who had founded Howard Civil Engineering two years prior, so was able to get in touch and see if there was anything we could help with at his new company.

It was around 2005 when this happened and I was just a groundworker at this point, but Mick took us on and we’ve both been here ever since.

What interested you about construction?

I was 20 when I started my first job in construction. When I left school I worked in a factory with my uncle making windows, but I knew Steve because we played football together and he offered to see if there were any vacancies for a general labourer on the job he was working on at the time. He told me what he did, told me that I could work my way up, and informed me of the different routes I could go down with a career in construction just by starting as a labourer.

It was more chance than anything rather than me being set on a career in construction while I was in school.

How did you go progress to Contracts Manager?

I worked on various projects to start with and then started learning more things and getting more tickets, and it just went from there. I demonstrated my capacity when working on the tools and my eagerness when I was asked to take on more responsibility, and then I gradually was trusted to be left supervising my own jobs and sites once I’d got my SSSTS and SMTSS.

From there I was promoted to Site Manager, then Project Manager, and I’ve been a Contracts Manager for nine years now.

What is your favourite part about being a contracts manager?

The satisfaction of seeing some of the younger team members progress from new apprentices and graduates to qualified and competent professionals. Some of our more ‘senior guys’ who have ten, twelve years of experience and are running their own projects are still only in their twenties because they joined us as apprentices when they were 16, straight out of school. For example, Patrick Furlong joined us as a graduate nine years ago and has since successfully managed several projects for clients such as Esh and IHP; George Bagnall started when he was 16 and has been with us about ten years now, and he’s a senior engineer.

We have a very good crop of current young talent within the business and I’m excited to see them grow and progress into their roles.

It is also very satisfying when you complete a particularly challenging project, as it is then you really take stock and look back on certain complexities and achievements to get it where it is. A lot of hard work is put in and these projects are part of your life for a few years solid in some instances. It is rewarding when the project is a success.

Why have you stayed for 18 years?

I think my values are fully aligned with the values of Howard Civil Engineering, and I know I’m looked after. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes my work is challenging, but Mick has an open-door policy and nobody’s better than anyone else here. Everyone’s very down to earth and we’re all aiming for the same end goal. 

What advice would you give to someone considering entering the construction industry?

The main thing is having the right attitude. There are so many different avenues you can go down when you start a career in construction, so keeping an open mind is important. There have been several times where a new team member has started with the goal of becoming an engineer and found they actually have a passion for another aspect of construction. We’ve had people move from being Quantity Surveyors to Estimators and Groundworkers to Engineers – don’t put yourself in a box early on.

Get stuck in, work hard, be willing, and it will be recognised.