Ahead of International Women’s Day 2021, Megan Lambert, Assistant Quantity Surveyor at Lumsden & Carroll speaks about her role at the civil engineering company, why she was inspired to work in construction and why she would encourage more women to consider a career in the industry.
Can you explain your job role and a typical working day?
My job is to control and manage the costs on a construction project, this includes day to day activities such as producing quotes / prices, site visits, reviewing and paying invoices, monitoring site progress, submitting monthly payment applications, picking up variations, monthly cost value reports (CVR) and liaising with sub-contractors, clients and the site team.
What attracted you to work in the construction industry and how did you get into your current role?
My dad works in the construction industry which brought the interest to me from a young age. I completed a work experience placement at Esh Group at 17 years old working with Quantity Surveyors, after enjoying the experience, a year later I applied for an Apprentice Quantity Surveyor role and my career has progressed from there, I am now an Assistant Quantity Surveyor.
What do you most enjoy about working in construction?
Every project is different which makes the job really interesting. The industry comes with many different challenges, and there is a lot of opportunity and room to progress.
What would you say to any young people who may be considering a career in the industry?
There are so many roles and opportunities available, with the ability to continually progress in your career.
If you were to speak to a female student who was considering a career in construction, but was put off by the male-centric landscape, what advice would you give them?
There are more and more women coming into the industry. A lot of people associate construction with working on building sites doing ‘hands on’ work, however this is not the case as an Assistant Quantity Surveyor, I am office based but also visit sites which I thoroughly enjoy.
There are more and more women coming into the industry. A lot of people associate construction with working on building sites doing ‘hands on’ work, however this is not the case as an Assistant Quantity Surveyor, I am office based but also visit sites which I thoroughly enjoy.”
