April-Laurena Fifield, Laing O’Rourke

April was pleased when her school started offering the option to take a GCSE in the built environment, and it kickstarted her journey in engineering. She is now undertaking a Digital Engineering Apprenticeship at Laing O’Rouke and hopes to raise awareness of women in engineering.

What inspired you to become an engineer?

I undertook work experience at Laing O’Rourke set up by my construction teacher which educated me on the business, what each role did, and I got some great career advice. I took so much value from this experience and began considering an apprenticeship at Laing O’Rourke.

My school encouraged further education at university, with apprenticeships seen as a second option, however my older brother had already completed a 3-year degree apprenticeship, so I got to see how positive his experience was. Despite applying for full-time university as a back-up option, through the help of my teachers and family (who are mostly of an engineering background) I applied for many different apprenticeship programmes.

While not all my applications were successful, and I interviewed more times than I can remember, I ended up securing around 2-3 offers for an apprenticeship in construction. I was thrilled to find out one of these offers was for the Digital Engineering Apprenticeship at Laing O’Rourke. It was clear to me that this was the programme I wanted to pursue, and I started in September 2022 - I have not looked back!

Can you describe your career in engineering so far?

My career in digital engineering has been eye-opening to say the least. There is such a wide variety of tools, software, and tasks that I didn’t even know existed a few years ago, but I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to discover them.

Having only worked at Laing O’Rourke for a year and a half I have been exposed to over 10 projects which have all been a learning opportunity in some way, whether it be new software, construction knowledge, or learning soft skills from different members of my team. I am looking forward to working on many more projects and continuing my learning even further.

What has been your biggest success in your career?

Having only started my career a year and a half ago, there hasn’t been one major success that stands out (yet!). However, the fact I was offered a place on the apprenticeship I had at the top of my list was a key success for me as it meant that I could do what I was enthusiastic about daily, studying alongside it to help me develop my knowledge, skills, and behaviours.

I’m not sure what the future holds for my career, but I know that I am lucky to have the chance to study while being trained by amazing industry professionals - helping my studies significantly.

What has been your biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge I have faced so far is understanding how important it is to learn different aspects of construction. During the first year of my HNC, I studied law and economics in the built environment, which at the time felt pointless. I would think why do I need to know this when I am a digital engineer - but after talking to others it made me realise that even if something isn’t 100% relevant to your role, it is important to have an understanding and appreciation for the other departments you will work with. I now understand that everything I learn, whether directly relevant to my role or not, has value and I never know when I might need it.

Are there any exciting projects on which you are currently working?

I am part of the core modelling team based at Laing O’Rourke’s head office in Dartford where we serve multiple projects using a range of software. I have worked on many amazing and exciting projects so far, but I am currently working on Tideway, London’s new super sewer. We are in the process of updating thousands of drawings used in the construction to ensure they align with what’s been constructed – we hand these over to the client as “As-Built Drawings.” This involves navigating files, creating renditions, and controlling each set of drawings. I also open the drawings and make the changes that are marked up by the engineers on site.

What does the future look like and what are your goals?

I know that the near future will consist of me completing my HNC and starting to study my degree in Architectural Technology while continuing to work on a range of projects at Laing O’Rourke. Once I have graduated from my apprenticeship, I hope to progress in my career as a digital engineer and increase my skills and knowledge as much as possible.

I also aim to raise awareness of women in engineering to young people as this is something I wish was more widely promoted when I was at school. Another topic I would like to raise awareness of is apprenticeships. I believe that for many people, the best way to learn is through experience and seeing/working on what you may be learning at college or university. I would like to encourage more people to consider apprenticeships by sharing my story and inspiring others to learn on the job.

How has your IET Membership helped you?

I have only recently joined the IET so have not had significant use of the tools yet. However, I am aiming to use its available resources to help me develop my knowledge, skills, and behaviour - evidence for my university course. I believe this will set me up with an understanding of the ethics and professional standards of the construction industry and provide me with examples to follow.

Do you participate in any other career-related activities?

When I can I take part in careers events such as open evenings, careers fairs, school visits and help with our work experience programmes. I enjoy doing this as I can offer my experiences and advice from when I was at school and going through the application process. I also aim to educate more students on careers in engineering, especially women, to raise awareness of the industry and encourage more people to consider it.

Do you have any advice for those looking for their first role in engineering and technology?

My biggest piece of advice for anyone looking into a career in this industry is to stay open-minded, especially in the early stages of job-seeking. I know how easy it is to put all your eggs in one basket, but trust me, it’s much more beneficial in the long run to consider all options and not to narrow down your decisions too early. For example, apprenticeships can be difficult to find, apply and interview for, so treat every process like it’s the one you want, even if it’s at the bottom of your list.

This means you will have more offers to choose from at the end of the application process and if anything goes wrong, there are back up routes available to you. It’s also important to do your research and make sure that this is something you want to commit to, as it takes a lot of hard work and dedication but can be extremely rewarding when you do.