CBD, Author at Howard Civil Engineering

Upon leaving school in 2019, 16 year-old Niall Gaughan knew he did not want to continue his learning in the classroom and instead approached Howard Civil Engineering for an apprenticeship in Quantity Surveying.

‘I was given the opportunity to go straight into work after school, which was very appealing to me,’ he commented. ‘I’d much rather learn on the job than in a classroom, and an apprenticeship at Howard Civil Engineering presented me with the perfect opportunity to do so.’

Niall became a member of the team in September 2019 and has since worked on numerous sites including City Fields, a new housing development for Countryside Homes, and Harworth Roof Tile Factory, a 14.76 hectare site for Persimmon Homes.

Niall has been taken under the wing of Michael Storey, another member of the team who joined HCE at the age of 16 as an apprentice and has since progressed into a full-time Quantity Surveyor.

‘As well as my college studies and other members of the commercial team, Michael has played an important part in teaching me necessary skills and showing me what I need to do,’ he said. ‘He has helped me pick things up very quickly and enjoy learning the trade.’

When asked how his role at Howard Civil Engineering compares to the roles of his college peers, Niall emphasised the options for growth presented at Howard Civil Engineering: ‘I have been given my own project to look after with the help of [Commercial Director] John Cartwright, which allows me to hone the day-to-day demands of the role including meeting deadlines and liaising with subcontractors. My college friends are mostly office-based, whereas Howard Civil Engineering gives me the freedom to go out on site and learn all aspects of the role. This has massively increased my confidence in my role as apprentice Quantity Surveyor.’

Commenting on Niall’s progress, Commercial Director John Cartwright said, ‘Niall has made a great start to his career and has an excellent work ethic & maturity beyond his years. Niall is actively building a sound knowledge of Quantity Surveying principles which will provide a platform to build a successful career.’

Overall, Niall is positive about his future with Howard Civil Engineering and ‘[looks] forward to continuing my studies in further education after college.’ Keep up the fantastic work, Niall!

Follow the journeys of our other apprentices as they train their way to full-time employment here!

It’s National Apprenticeship week once again, and this year we’re taking time to celebrate our on-site engineers.

17-year-old Ewan Bromley joined us over a year ago as an Apprentice Engineer and has since excelled on various sites and projects across Yorkshire whilst studying Civil Engineering at the Leeds College of Building. Ewan began his journey with us at New Era in Sheffield and quickly progressed to sites such as the prestigious Hudson Quarter mixed-use development in York. He is currently working on the enabling works our new site in Wharncliffe Side, Sheffield, for our client and sister company Erris Homes. This development will bring 13 brand new four-storey family homes to the area,

When asked about his role, Ewan reflected on the scope and depth of opportunity available to him at Howard Civil Engineering: ‘My role at Howards has allowed me a lot more opportunities than any other industry. I feel like I have a lot more responsibility on site than if I had taken up any other role elsewhere.

‘Since I started my role, I have learned how to operate an EDM to set out points, set levels and how to read a lot of the drawings. On top of this, I also organise a lot of paperwork for cubes and health and safety which is required on a weekly basis. I feel that I have been given a lot more responsibility being with Howards than any of my peers at college have been afforded in other companies.’

Ewan has recently completed his Level 3 Apprenticeship. He is looking forward to completing college and achieving his Higher National Certificate, and eventually his Higher National Diploma, and has no qualms about continuing his career progression with Howard Civil Engineering: ‘Howards have offered me so much support throughout my apprenticeship and I’m certain that if I am unsure about any aspect of a project, there will always be someone who is more than happy to help me understand.’

Commenting on Ewan’s time here at Howard Civil Engineering, Project Manager Darren Malone said, ‘Since starting his career with us at Howard Civil Engineering, Ewan has demonstrated a strong work ethos and a desire to learn and to progress as an engineer. In the past year, he has developed both his experience and knowledge and shown that not only is he able to work alongside senior engineers but he also excels when working independently, which is quite challenging. We are over the moon with Ewan’s progress and can’t wait to see how he taked the next few years of his apprenticeship in his stride.’

Keep up the good work, Ewan!

Follow the journeys of our other apprentices as they train their way to full-time employment here!

It’s National Apprenticeship Week, and we’re taking some time to reflect on the success of our apprentice, Michael Storey.

Quantity Surveyor Michael Storey joined us almost seven years ago as a fresh-faced sixteen-year-old and quickly took to his role as an on-site assistant. Michael promptly progressed from shadowing Quantity Surveyors to shouldering more responsibility and getting stuck into larger projects, such as Bishop Auckland and Barlby Roundabout.

‘My apprenticeship with Howard Civil Engineering has gave me a lot of responsibility, and it’s been an amazing opportunity which I feel put me a step ahead of my peers before I had barely even started,’ said Michael. ‘A lot of trust has been placed in me, and HCE have always been open to giving me the freedom to prove myself. It has been scary and stressful at times, but I’ve always had the support I need.’

Commenting on his future prospects within construction, Michael is hungry to further his career with HCE: ‘It’s been good to look up to other members of the team who have grown from their apprenticeships with HCE. It’s encouraging to work with people such as Ben Williams, who progressed from an on-site engineer to a Contracts Manager in only six years, as his growth is testament of HCE’s commitment to investing in their employees.’

Michael was promoted to Quantity Surveyor in April 2018 and is looking forward to completing his education with us. Michael has also expressed his ambition to become a Commercial Manager at HCE.

We are proud to have supported such a talented and determined young man in achieving his goals and offering long-term opportunities in the construction industry. Keep up the good work, Michael!

Follow the journeys of our other apprentices as they train their way to full-time employment here!

Two Howard Civil Engineering sites have achieved fantastic scores following reviews from the Considerate Constructors Scheme.

Our Greengates Junction and Gateway 36 sites were assessed by the scheme and monitored for their performance against the five sections of the Code of Considerate Practice: caring about our appearance, respecting the community, protecting the environment, securing everyone’s safety, and valuing our workforce.

We are pleased to say that both site teams earned a seven or above in all five categories, meaning these sites are ‘very good’ and ‘excellent’.

Pre-construction coordinator Sophie Henderson (pictured with Greengates Junction project manager Simon Doling, above) takes the lead on sustainability at Howard Civil Engineering and is the nominated community liaison officer for both the Greengates Junction and Gateway 36 sites.

“We are thrilled to have achieved such respectable scores,” said Sophie. “As a company we are relatively new to the Considerate Constructors Scheme, but these results fill me with confidence that Howard Civil Engineering portray the construction industry in a positive light.

“The communities in which we work are extremely important and we endeavour to keep all local stakeholders as engaged as possible throughout every stage of our projects. This includes the distribution of fortnightly e-newsletters and assisting in community projects such as litter picks.”

Sophie also highlighted how these scores reflect Howard Civil Engineering’s attitude towards our team members: “Ensuring our employees have access to mental health first aid, are exposed to a wealth of information on where they can seek help regarding poor mental health, and are rewarded for their efforts, is a top priority for us.

“Additionally, we persevere to keep all of our sites as clean and as tidy as possible. I am pleased to say we frequently receive praise from local stakeholders who compliment the upkeep and tidiness of our sites!”

Finally, we would like to congratulate the teams who achieved these fantastic scores from Considerate Constructors Scheme. Well done and keep up the good work!

From completing one of the most highly anticipated road improvement schemes in West Yorkshire to commencing our largest earthworks scheme to date, 2020 has certainly been a year to remember.

Over the past twelve months we have successfully completed ten projects across Yorkshire and secured twelve more, six of which are with brand new clients such as Harworth Group and North Yorkshire County Council. To help us manage our continued growth, we have welcomed twenty-five new members to the Howard Civil Engineering team including eight new apprentices!

Take a look at our rundown of the biggest project news from this year:

*Topping out Ironworks ahead of schedule in August (left); Hard Ings Road Improvement scheme completed October (right)*

Although 2020 has been a difficult year for many, there was still plenty to celebrate! Two members of our team have earned their Mental Health First Aider qualifications and Sophie Henderson, who joined us as an apprentice six years ago, was promoted to Pre-Construction Co-Ordinator. We also achieved our highest health and safety score ever in August with an overall landmark score of 96.51%!

*Sophie Henderson was promoted to Pre-Construction Co-Ordinator (left); Emma Wallbank completed her MHFA training (right)*

This continued growth has also enabled us to support our local communities more than ever before. We are proud to have donated £17,000 to both local and national causes this year alone! The Howard Civil Engineering team fundraised a whopping £3,716 by taking part in QuaranTEN for LandAid over lockdown and have welcomed another previously homeless person to the team with the help of our charity partners, The Howarth Foundation.

*Supporting the young women of Skipton Girls’ School (left); Helping to feed our community in Barnsley over Christmas (right)*

As the year comes to a close, we’d like to thank our clients, contractors, and suppliers for helping us make 2020 successful year. We wish you all a merry Christmas and a very happy new year. See you in 2021!

Team members at Howard Civil Engineering and Erris Homes have pulled together to donate hundreds of toys and presents to children in need this Christmas!

From puzzles and race cars to perfume sets and bedding, we’re helping to make sure no child in West Yorkshire wakes up on Christmas morning without a present under the tree.

Operatives at sites such as Gateway 36 and Greengates Junction also joined in the fun and, in the end, we were able to donate hundreds of fantastic presents to Cash for Kids’ Mission Christmas Appeal earlier this week!

Although this is part of a national appeal, Cash for Kids’ Mission Christmas Appeal ensured a whopping 26,143 children across West Yorkshire received a present for Christmas in 2019. With the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic still in full force, Christmas is going to be tougher than ever for those in need.

We are very proud of the amazing response we have received from our team members, and we sincerely hope that our chosen presents make their recipients’ Christmases a little merrier.

You can find out more about the appeal and donate to Cash for Kids here.

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