Fraser Conway
Balfour Beatty – Graduate Engineer
Union Terrace GardensFraser originally planned on staying on for a 6th year at school but learnt about careers in construction when Balfour Beatty presented at Northfield Academy as part of works connected to the local AWPR project.

Fraser started his apprenticeship journey in 2016 as a Civil Engineer apprentice working on the AWPR project and initially shadowed senior engineers. This allowed Fraser to see how tasks and were completed and the structuring and planning that goes into these. Fraser has since been part of teams that delivered Dundee Regional Performance Centre Project (2019) & is currently a crucial member of the team delivering Aberdeen Union Terrace Gardens.

Fraser’s role involves:

• Setting out, documenting & planning work activities.
• Presenting results, records & solutions to senior engineers/ management.
• Interpret design options & assess viability and feasibility.
• Working as part of a team to deliver projects efficiently and safely.

During his 4-year apprenticeship, Fraser has developed many skills and increased his knowledge through work-based learning. This has included:

• Being adaptable to design and learning use of various data software which has allowed him to present results and records clearly.
• Hands-on experience with engineering instruments and machines that allow for the most accurate and efficient way of setting out and recording work activities.
• Growing confident to support others – Fraser has shared his knowledge and skills with Students on Summer Placements, Graduates and even Senior Engineers throughout his apprenticeship.

Completing his 4-year Civil Engineering MA has allowed Fraser to apply his learning from college into real life projects which he has been part of. This has included:

• Hydrology – Fraser has the background knowledge into the decisions that are made when designing drainage systems and how important it is to protect or improve existing drainage systems.
• Highway Engineering – Fraser has learnt how roads are designed and how certain standards need to be met when picking a design for certain road classes.
• Geotechnical Engineering – In Fraser’s current project, Union Terrace Gardens, we have had concrete piles as part of our design. Geotechnical engineering has taught him how ground investigations work and how these are crucial as part of the pile design.

Fraser’s biggest achievement with Balfour Beatty is he has not only completed his 4-year MA but has been recognised by our Operation Director as potential future leader and is now being supported through his Graduate Apprentice Civil Engineering degree.