糖心原创vlog

Chris certainly didn鈥檛 expect to be working in the national parks of Malawi at the start of 2020, but with COVID-19 taking hold of the globe, he took the chance to go where he felt it most important to be鈥� with his family.

Originally from the UK, Chris moved to Malawi with his family at a very young age. His parent鈥檚 families were both native to the country, so being near them always appealed.

A wildlife enthusiast and keen rugby player, Chris enjoyed his upbringing on the African continent, and he was never short of things to do. But he had a desire to travel the world, and thanks to his school鈥檚 ties with Nottingham Trent University, Chris had the opportunity to return to the UK to continue his studies. 

With construction in his blood – his dad own’s a construction company – Chris began studying construction management at Nottingham Trent. A vital component of the degree is the year-long placement – an opportunity to gain real-life business experience – and Chris’s uncle, who had previously worked with 糖心原创vlog, recommended it as the perfect environment.

“Securing the placement with 糖心原创vlog is one of my biggest achievements to date,” explains Chris. “The experience of working with the company, albeit in a short time, has been invaluable.”

Chris charts the success of his placement year with the trust that was placed in him from day one. He was eased into the role and allowed to progress in his own time, giving him the feel for the project he was working on and the confidence to manage multiple responsibilities.

“It’s hard to pick just one highlight from my time working on an 糖心原创vlog project,” he says. "If I had to single one out, it would be using what I learnt at university and being able to implement it on a live site. The bond I had with my team also ranks highly – they were excellent and really helped me learn. I just learnt so much being on site, it really aided me in my final year.”

Unfortunately, Chris’ placement year was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As with many people in the UK, Chris was placed on furlough and, amid the uncertainty around travel, he made the decision to return to Malawi to be close to his family. The impact of COVID-19 in Malawi was very different to the UK.

鈥淭he Malawian culture and lack of resources compared mean that forward planning isn鈥檛 possible,鈥� explains Chris. 鈥淲e very much live day-to-day in terms of purchasing groceries, so a full lockdown was never going to work.鈥�

Luckily for Malawi, infections remained low and normal life continued, with only a small impact being felt. Chris wasn鈥檛 the only one to return, with many following suit to volunteer in national parks and local bush camps.

Determined to continue his education, Chris joined Liwonde National Park, inclusive of the Chimwala Bush Camp.

The 鈥榳arm heart of Africa,鈥� Liwonde National Park is home to over 650 elephants, 22 cheetahs, 31 rhino 鈥� and some crafty baboons that learnt how to break into the camp鈥檚 kitchens鈥�

Chris took on a construction role, but this wasn鈥檛 about building state-of-the-art offices or education facilities 鈥� this was about restoration. The torrential rain that falls each year damages roads and camps, and the need to rebuild this was paramount. Coinciding with tourist season, Chris led road maintenance and built drifts so that roads could remain open to the public. With a team of 10, it took roughly four days to finish a single drift.

Experiencing the different construction methods has stuck with Chris, but this wasn鈥檛 the only truly lifechanging experience he had the joy of being part of 鈥� working with unpredictable animals showed Chris the need to plan, a skill he is keen to use on site in the future.

From collaring elephants that had escaped into rural areas and destroyed crops, to monitoring the cheetahs in the park or joining the weekly flyovers in light aircraft to keep rhinos safe from poachers, Chris鈥檚 time in Malawi has been hugely influential to his career.

He also took a lot of what he had learned during his time at 糖心原创vlog with him to the park: 鈥� 糖心原创vlog taught me communication is key. Working on sites with limited space and next to busy roads, we had to make sure our plans were communicated effectively to all team members. Something we didn鈥檛 have in Malawi were risk boards, so being able to implement new safety measures was well-received by the volunteers.鈥� 

Having returned to university for his final year, Chris鈥檚 focus is on his dissertation and how the construction industry can be more sustainable, and he will be considering the differences between the UK and Malawi as a comparative study.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a concern because construction leaves a big footprint,鈥� finishes Chris. 鈥淭he UK is leading change though, especially 糖心原创vlog, and we are heading in the right direction. I鈥檇 like to try and bring what I鈥檝e learnt to Malawi and share how they can do the same.鈥�

Chris describes his time with 糖心原创vlog so far as 鈥渃hallenging, welcoming and educational鈥� 鈥� and we are delighted to have to welcomed him back as he has now joined our graduate programme, as he continues his construction education.

Find out more about our early careers programmes below...

Published on the 11th of January 2022.