Desco welcomes two PlanBEE Students Cody and Nikhil
Cody Sheriff and Nikhil Bhandari are the latest PlanBEE students to join engineering consultancy Desco through the award-winning education programme, which allows aspiring professionals to earn whilst learning, through day-release studies and work placements, at a host of leading North East-based construction companies.
The PlanBEE higher apprenticeship scheme, which has won accolades at the AJ100 Awards and Building Awards for its innovative, tailored approach to learning, provides students with a regular salary, a professional qualification and a guaranteed job opportunity on graduation. The bespoke programme’s on and off-the-job training combines lessons at Gateshead College, one day each week, with a series of work placements, rotating through companies like Desco, Ryder Architecture, SHED Structural Engineers, NBS, BIM Academy, Cundall, FaulknerBrowns, Sir Robert McAlpine, Tolent and. Robertson Construction.
Cody is nearing completion of the two-year programme having already completed placements with Sir Robert McAlpine’s, BIM Academy, NBS, Tolent Construction and Ryder Architecture, with Nikhil fairly new to the programme having completed two placements with SHED Structural Engineering and Ryder’s. At Desco, the pair will learn to put mechanical and electrical (M&E) building services engineering theory into practice, developing designs and preparing drawings for essential building systems such as lighting, heating, ventilation, water supply, lifts, security, data and telecoms. They’ll also get the opportunity to learn about building physics and energy management and use building information modelling (BIM) software.
Cody explains “I am now coming up to the end of my last year with the PlanBEE programme which has seen me complete five different placements with well-established companies within the construction industry. Each of these placements have gave me a different insight into what processes go into carrying out construction projects at the various RIBA stages”.
During my time with Desco, I hope to reinforce my knowledge on MEP and how it is implemented within todays construction project using the various software applications Desco have to offer.”
Eager to get started on his third PlanBEE placement, Nikhi adds, “I have worked in two key disciplines within the industry so far, one being a structural engineer and the other being an architect. Desco would help broaden my perspective of the industry as MEP engineering is also another key discipline. I’m also looking forward to developing my understanding of Building physics and its impact on how the environment is having a growing impact on the design stage of buildings. “
Desco Director, Paul Baker, extended a warm welcome to both Cody and Nikhil. Explaining the benefits of the programme, Paul said, “The current Year 2 Students are going through the process of applying for their chosen career paths, it’s fantastic to see the students ready to progress now onto the next stage of their careers, From an employer’s perspective, it’s encouraging for us that we have had such a high interest in M&E as a chosen path, in turn this gives us the perfect chance to help shape and support the students’ learning and development.
Cody and Nikhil will each spend four months at Desco’s head office at Doxford Business Park in Sunderland, which has already hosted five other students through the programme to date.
Paul concludes “We wish Cody and Nikhil all the very best in their placements. We hope they’ll both enjoy the time they spend as part of the Desco team and find it beneficial in whichever construction career path they choose.”
Cody explains “I am now coming up to the end of my last year with the PlanBEE programme which has seen me complete five different placements with well-established companies within the construction industry. Each of these placements have gave me a different insight into what processes go into carrying out construction projects at the various RIBA stages”.
During my time with Desco, I hope to reinforce my knowledge on MEP and how it is implemented within todays construction project using the various software applications Desco have to offer.”
Nikhi adds, “I have worked in two key disciplines within the industry so far, one being a structural engineer and the other being an architect. Desco would help broaden my perspective of the industry as MEP engineering is also another key discipline. I’m also looking forward to developing my understanding of Building physics and its impact on how the environment is having a growing impact on the design stage of buildings.”