People: in focus - Joshua Obichere, first year undergraduate, on his hopes for the future

Joshua Obichere is in his first year of the BSc Project Management for Construction. Alongside fellow students, he recently participated in the CIOB Novus Bright Futures Challenge 2017. He was recognised for his enthusiasm and was granted a two week placement with Berkeley Group in July. We spoke to Joshua to find out about his hopes for the future and what he has gained from the undergraduate programme.

How are you finding the BSc Project Management for Construction programme?

It’s been a great experience. It’s been very multidisciplinary as we have explored many topics such as law, economics and management.

Having this knowledge must have really helped in getting your placement.

Yes, definitely. The Novus judging panel really liked our enthusiasm and passion for the subject. Without studying the programme, we wouldn’t have that. We could apply what we had learnt in class when answering questions and completing the tasks we were given.

What do you expect to learn from your placement?

We didn’t get through to the final of the Novus challenge, but they offered me the chance to do a shadow day at Berkeley Group as I was the top student on the day out of around 50 people. They then extended it to two weeks in July.

From this placement, I will hope to learn what is required to be a good project manager on a construction site and how to communicate a project from the management level. I will also see this as preparation for my second year on the programme. I have never had first-hand experience of seeing how the industry works so I’m very excited.

After the course, what do you hope to be doing?

I want to be a project manager. I have found a passion and love for design management. When I applied for this programme, I knew it would allow me to become more relevant within the industry. I see myself in design management and working with BIM and computer aided design to eventually manage the whole construction process.

How do you think the School has helped you to achieve what you have so far?

The great thing about the programme is that there are small class sizes so we can integrate with each other. This is helpful because there are a range of different personalities on the programme. I see the course as like the industry itself because we are working around groups of people and needing to communicate and cooperate. These are also crucial transferable skills. It’s an all-encompassing and well-rounded degree that even allows us to go into another sector.

Every time I go into class, I always have this excitement because there is always something different that we’ll learn. There are also loads of things to get involved in such as the Construction Society and other networking opportunities.

Most importantly, I believe that the lecturers see us as future project managers. This makes a big difference in our learning because it helps us aspire to become project managers.

Find out more about BSc Project Management for Construction.