The technical division of Nankhoo Consulting Engineers forms part of the core competencies within the organisation. This can often be described as where all the “magic” occurs. They perform a wide variety of tasks ranging from office based work such as: producing designs, coordinating multimillion Rand projects, performing site inspections and managing contractors. So, what can be said about the staff who have decided to work in this division?
The office based staff forming part of the technical division are a relatively young group of prospective civil engineers with great enthusiasm and zest for the work in which they are involved in. They range from a variety of backgrounds, education and experience which has created a very diverse environment which nurtures continual learning, provides a vast body of knowledge to tap into, and promotes improvement of the individuals and the team as a whole. This division is very hands-on as they perform their work under the guidance of a qualified professional engineer with more than 25 years of experience in the industry. The underlying success of the team has resulted from self-managed, semi-autonomous work groups instead of using a hierarchical, top-down approach. This allows each member to take responsibility for the quality and coordination of their own projects, which have at times been described as, “being thrown into the deep end.”
The combination of this fast-track learning environment and hands-on approach has helped the company to grow to new heights as the company has recently expanded as a result of these efforts. The individuals of this division claim that the company has benefited them in terms of gaining a greater understanding of civil engineering related projects such as roads and bridges from inception to completion. Furthermore improving their proficiencies with computer aided software programmes related to designing these types of projects, and has increased their aptitudes toward working in a team. The company is currently striving towards meeting the requirements for ISO 9001 accreditation, which is awarded to companies with a high level of quality and efficiency. There is also a number of staff who are working towards obtaining their ECSA accreditation to gain professional status.
From the responses of the team members Nankhoo Consulting Engineers is a great place to work. It provides sound training and knowledge to employees who are students for their higher education and training. It provides graduates with further experience to take them forward in the field of civil engineering. Thus the company is benefiting and will continue to grow from the enthusiastic ‘can-do’ attitude of its employees.
– Compiled by Luke de Rauville and Orient Mashego (30 June 2015 Edition)
