Introducing Jamie Arbon - Associate Engineer
Can you tell us a bit about your career and how long you have been in the industry/how did your journey start??
I started my career with an apprenticeship in electrical installation with a contractor. Once qualified as an electrician, I went on to study testing and inspection, which resulted in a promotion to electrical supervisor.
After 5 years of working as an electrician, I decided to use my experience to pursue a career in consultancy and was fortunate to secure a position with a building services consultancy, Hoare Lea, as a Trainee Technician.
During my 8.5 years at Hoare Lea, I progressed from a Trainee Technician to Associate Engineer, acting as lead engineer on a variety of projects across various industry sectors including Cat A/B and refurbishment office fit-outs, high end Residential, Mission Critical facilities and Film Studios. During my time there, I completed an HNC in Electrical & Electronic Engineering and BEng (Hons) degree in Building Services at London South Bank University.
I worked with Group Metropolitan on multiple projects acting as the client consultant and built a relationship with their teams. When the Technical Services department was formed, I was offered a position as an Associate Engineer which I accepted and joined Group Metropolitan in March 2022.
What do you enjoy the most about your job role?
I am pleased with the high level of responsibility I am trusted with. I work closely with our long-standing clients, which has resulted in repeat business for the Design team. It’s great to build those relationships and something I enjoy being involved with.? The ability to stay involved from conception through to handover is also great as we see the full journey and assist with fast response as the project is being delivered.
How have you found working at GML & what would you say is the best thing about working here?
I am extremely pleased with how my first year and a half at Group Metropolitan has been. I believe working conditions at GML promote productivity throughout. The company’s ethos and values are evident in all our employees, which gives me the motivation to work to the best of my ability for the company and our clients.
What are your aspirations for your department in the future?
I am very happy with the level of growth the department has already achieved. We have grown considerably since the department was created just over 2 years ago and are actively looking to expand our team with positions open for both Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.? We are also looking to take on an apprentice in the next year once the additional engineers have been appointed.
Our future aspirations are to be a focal point of the Turn-key solution we offer as a business as well as being a trusted independent design service. We hope that the design stage will be developed by the Technical Services Department for most of our projects then carried through to practical completion all under the GML umbrella.
What do you feel are the biggest obstacles within our industry??
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Long Lead procurement times of plant & equipment can incur huge delays to the project programme. However, if the design and construction are all under the GML umbrella we are often able to mitigate these obstacles by validating/designing long lead items as a priority and placing orders while the remainder of the design is developed. The ability to place early orders on long lead items can offer huge benefits to our clients and is often implemented.
?What do you see as the next big trend in Metropolitan?
The construction industry as a whole is set with firm Carbon Emission reduction targets. Our clients are constantly looking at ways of reducing energy consumption to strive towards the end goal of Net Zero Carbon. As a business, we have sustainability at the forefront of our focus and this is implemented by our BMS Team with the controls strategy on all of our projects.? I believe this will be a big trend for GML for the foreseeable future.
What advice would you give to someone who is looking to pursue a career in your department/job role?
I hope that my career path demonstrates that people with practical experience can switch roles to become a design consultant if they wish to do so. When I stopped working as an Electrician, I thought I would struggle to develop my technical knowledge and that the work at university may be too challenging. Now I have done it, I believe this route is more valuable than the traditional graduate route and I progressed at a much faster rate due to my site experience.
I would advise anyone that has aspires to become a design consultant to get in touch. We would be happy to explain what the role entails and see what opportunities we can offer.
Can you give us an idea of the types of projects you have lined up for 2023?
Our order book for the remainer of 2023 currently includes:
How does an in-house Technical Services department benefit the business and our client base?
I believe having the in-house Technical Services Department has a huge benefit to our business and our clients. It allows us to develop the design alongside the delivery managers who will be taking the project through the construction phase. This allows them to fully understand the design while it’s being developed, add comments and suggestions based on their valuable site experience, which can be incorporated into the design as it progresses.? This provides highly reliable and buildable solutions from the outset, giving significant benefits in providing cost and programme certainty from the outset of the project.
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