Two and a half years after completing his college construction course, Ed Carr returned to City College Norwich to help oversee the construction of its new Digi-Tech Factory. And at the same time, he is inspiring today’s students to aim high as they prepare to embark on their own construction careers.
Ed, 22, has made rapid progress since he left the college in the summer of 2018 to join R G Carter, where he is Trainee Project Manager. He is also currently working on the £53m Carrow Quarter development, a four-phase development will eventually see 323 new flats built at Riverside in Norwich.
In addition to gaining all this experience of construction management, Ed is continuing his learning through a four-year BSc (Hons) in Construction Management which is funded by his employer. Successful completion of the degree will see Ed become a Chartered Member of The Chartered Institute of Builders (CIOB).
Ed says his time at City College Norwich, when he studied a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment, provided an ideal preparation for his current role. “We went on a lot of site visits, which is the way to learn. You see the real thing out there, real life, and how everything works. You get to meet professionals as well, who have been in your shoes when they were starting out in the industry, and they can relate to where you are.”
Of his current role as Trainee Project Manager, he said: “If you are in a construction management role, obviously it comes with the responsibility, but you get to lead teams, you can travel the world by doing it – obviously there is construction everywhere in the world.”