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As part of the #BuildingEquality Campaign, Carole Smillie, Project Manager with Bennett Property shares her story.
I chose to study Civil Engineering in NUIG because I loved Maths and problem solving. As I learnt more and more about Engineering, I thought that I would work in a design office as my passion was concrete building design. I continued my studies in Trinity College and graduated with a Master Degree in Civil Engineering in 1994. It was difficult to get a job in Ireland at the time and I was advised to work on a building site for 3 months before starting to work in a design office. That was 25 years ago and I am still working for the same company that allowed me to do 3 months construction work.
When I started with Bennett Construction, I realized that I was more suited to working outdoors and I was very fortunate that John Bennett took me under his wing and helped me move from a Graduate Engineer in 1995 to a Board Director in 2001. I have worked on over 40 large commercial projects with Bennett Construction and been extremely lucky to always have had a great team with me on site.
My career changed slightly in direction in 2017 when I move from Bennett Construction to Bennett Property. The development side of construction is a new challenge for me and while I am still on site the majority of the time, I am enjoying more office based work with planning and costing.
Attracting more women and girls into construction has never been an easy task, but I’d hope that as there are more female students now that they will also find great companies to work for and enjoy life on site as much as I do.
To learn more about the #BuildingEquality campaign and to share your own story, please visit our dedicated page here