A Project Management graduate has landed his perfect position with one of the UK's leading construction groups.
Thomas Stoney credits the Executive Company Project (ECP) he undertook as part of his master's course with helping him secure the role of graduate site manager with Galliford Try.
At the moment Thomas is learning as much as he can about the construction industry to benefit his job, which he started in September.
His role involves assisting other site managers to monitor progress, helping move projects forward and testing the quality of work.
Thomas said: "I was offered the job three days after my final interview and I was absolutely delighted. The ECP definitely helped me secure my dream graduate position."
The 23-year-old decided to study for his MSc in Project Management at DMU to help him achieve his ambition of becoming a project manager in the construction industry.
He said: "In a highly-competitive graduate jobs market, I knew I needed to study at master's level to give me an edge in applying for jobs and to get interviews with large construction companies."
Thomas chose DMU because of the lecturers' industry experience and interesting modules. Another deciding factor was the ECP, which accounts for a third of the course.
Available across selected business master's courses at DMU, including the entire portfolio offered by Leicester Castle Business School, it is an alternative to a traditional dissertation. The ECP offers organisations an opportunity to benefit from the skills of a master's student for a specific project, while the student gains valuable work experience.
Thomas said: "I knew I needed to have some related experience when I started applying for construction industry graduate schemes and the ECP looked like it was able to give me this kind of experience."
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Students are supported throughout the process, including help with their CV, interview skills and psychometric tests.
"All of this really helped," said Thomas, who used his skills to offer a cluster of schools analysis on the process of becoming an academy.
He said: "The three-month project involved planning, project management, financial cash flows and local education authority rules as well as legal aspects.
"It was incredibly involved but I thoroughly enjoyed it."
Thomas was able to add value to the project thanks to his MSc.
He said: "What I was learning was absolutely applicable to the 'business' situation, and 100 per cent applicable to real life."
This experience then proved a big help when applying to Galliford Try.
Thomas said: "After some really useful employability help from my tutor David Gordon, I got through the first two rounds and was invited for a final interview.
"My interviewer was extremely impressed by how applicable the ECP was, and how my education had been applied to such a relevant situation."
Posted on Wednesday 30 November 2016