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Each year the Shell People Awards recognise the outstanding training achievements of individuals within the civil construction industry.
His job at DBC Construction involves working as a groundsman for the diggers, carpentry and operating excavators with attachments such as drill augers, grapples, vibrators, buckets, and pile driving rigs. He was recently given the responsibility of site foreman on a retaining wall project at a slip on State Highway 4 near Taumauranui. It was his first taste of supervising a job and he says he enjoyed the opportunity and “learned heaps”. “My training has given me the confidence to do that job, and now I am keen to get more qualified in the civil construction industry and become better at using civil machinery.
Peckett works as an engineer in HEB’s structural division and her ambition is to run her of $10 million plus project, and ultimately hold a position in upper management of a construction company. She is currently a graduate member of IPENZ and is currently working towards becoming a chartered professional engineer. Peckett has experienced the challenges of being the only female on a jobsite of men where some doubted her abilities, however, this, she says, has only given her more fuel for her fire. Her determination and passion to achieve prevailed and over the duration of the project she earned the respect of those working with her and “ended up having a great working relationship with everyone on site.” After graduating from university, Peckett worked as a project engineer/manager on projects smaller than $2 million. She says she was given a lot of responsibility from day one, which she took in her stride. Peckett is currently working on a $44 million wharf project for the Port of Napier as a project engineer. She works closely with the site supervisor and another engineer and is responsible for the wharf construction, reclamation of seabed, liaison with subcontractors, precast concrete production, stormwater installation and pavement construction. “Leadership to me is not only defined by someone’s ability to communicate and motivate a group of people,” she says, “but also by the example they set by their actions and words.” NZCF/Hirepool Construction Awards
Contractor Vol.33 No.8 September 2009 |
This year’s Trainee of the Year was Douglas Brier of DBC Construction. He’s been with the company for two years now and in that time he has completed his introduction to civil construction national certificate and has almost finished a national certificate – civil plant operator, level 3 and the Operate Safe bronze card. As far as training goes, Brier says he is keen to continue learning, with first line management as his next challenge.
Sheridan Peckett of HEB Construction came out on top of a pack of 17 contestants to be named as Leader of Tomorrow in the Shell People Awards.