Sam constructs a new career path in civil engineering!

Samantha Matthews, a former personal trainer, recently retrained at Burton and South Derbyshire College for a complete career change in the construction industry. 

Previously a personal trainer in a local gym, Sam had always been interested in construction and decided to return to college to retrain with a Higher National Certificate (HNC) in Civil Engineering, leading to her becoming a Graduate Engineer at M. Lambe Construction.

Sam started the course with very little knowledge of the construction industry and developed her knowledge, skills and industry connections during the course at the College’s Stephen Burke Construction Academy in Swadlincote.

Sam commented: “I decided to retrain as I had always been technically minded at school and I felt like I wanted to do more to fulfil my potential. When I started, I didn’t know anything about construction but the course was a chance to work with likeminded people who were in the industry, who shared experiences and contacts.”

During the course, Sam gained hands-on experience with a work placement at St. Modwen Homes which increased her confidence and led to her successfully becoming a Trainee Civil Engineer for M. Lambe Construction. Sam won BSDC HE Learner of the Year during her graduation and is delighted to have created a new career for herself.

Sam said: “I really enjoy my role; it’s varied and I get to see a lot of elements of the business. I enjoy the variety tasks I get to complete and the technology I get to use. One day, I can be surveying stockpiles on-site and creating 3D models, and the next I can be in the office creating pre-construction models from client data. My advice to anyone looking to retrain would be to give it a go and see what you can achieve!” 

Geraint Davies, Director of curriculum at BSDC said: Throughout the HNC course, Sam demonstrated hard work, strong academic skills and a willingness to learn new things. She made a cautious start to her studies but soon settled in and began to shine, becoming a course representative and helping her peers wherever possible. Alongside starting a new job during the pandemic, she produced consistently strong academic work, achieving distinctions across the board. Sam has utilised higher education to transform their skill set and begin an exciting new career, and we wish her every success in the future!”