Tag Archives: careers

Awards, Safety

Ongoing Advancements in Construction Safety and Diversity 

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It is with great pride that Sarah Constructions congratulates QHSE Manager, Dena English, on winning Master Builders SA’s 2021 HiViZ Women in Construction Award, which recognises and celebrates the highest female achievers in the South Australian construction industry.

Promoting diversity and inclusion, the award reflects Master Builders SA’s mission to empower women to pursue new construction career pathways and support them in achieving their goals. Sarah Constructions is therefore delighted that one of our own outstanding employees is the recent recipient.

Celebrating Achievements in Quality, Work Health & Safety and Environmental Management (QHSE)

From choosing a career in Quality, Work Health & Safety and Environmental Management (QHSE) in 2015 to winning the 2021 Master Builders SA Award in 2021, Dena’s development has been rapid.

During that time, as Sarah Constructions grew from 74 employees to 232, Dena progressed from QHSE Coordinator to QHSE Advisor and then to QHSE Manager in 2017 taking on more responsibility and role complexity ensuring that Sarah’s high standards of quality, safety and environmental management were not compromised throughout this period of growth.

Dena rises to every challenge with her QHSE achievements including overhauling Sarah Constructions’ QHSE systems in 2018 to gain certification to new Quality, Safety and Environmental ISO standards; decreasing the company’s Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate from 12.85 to the current rate of 1.55; and designing and implementing an ISO 45001 compliant WHS Management System for Sarah Build.

Safeguarding Business Continuity During COVID-19

2020 brought new challenges in WHS management with COVID-19. Led by Dena and the QHSE team, Sarah Constructions implemented a COVID-19 Management Plan and associated processes to ensure the risks were adequately managed and business continuity was maintained.

This was implemented when Sarah had construction projects operating in Mount Gambier requiring coordination with a Victorian builder, while Victorian COVID-19 cases were at peak levels and a hard border closure was in place. The COVID-19 risk was managed diligently, with Dena and the QHSE team liaising with SAPOL and SA Health to ensure that workers travelling from Victoria were not introducing risk to the health and safety of workers on our sites.

CEO Adrian Esplin thanked staff for their flexibility and commitment throughout the pandemic. “Our ability to be agile to cover staff losses has been exemplary. A great example has been the recent OFSC audit at Concordia, where most of the site team was quarantined the day prior to the audit and QHSE Manager Dena was working remotely due to COVID; our back-up team stepped in to manage the audit and delivered a high level OFSC audit, a result that we’re proud of.”

He went on to highlight how critical WHS is, especially at this time. “The strain is being felt industry-wide. Resources are stretched and the demands on construction projects are not easing. This increases the risk of safety incidents. At Sarah, we recognise that it is vital that we maintain our focus on safety, and in particular high risk works.”

Championing Safety and Diversity in Construction

Not only does QHSE Manager Dena play an integral part in maintaining Sarah’s business continuity and the safety of Sarah staff, she is an “active and valued member” of the South Australian Construction Safety Alliance (SACSA), which champions and improves the safety of construction workers throughout SA.

Lex Hanegraaf, Chairperson of SACSA, explains that her contributions are valuable to the discipline of WHS on a state level. “Dena brings great value to the discussions as a well-respected and experienced construction QHSE professional,” he said.

Dena’s career success also places her in an excellent position to advocate for more women to choose a career in construction – a goal with which Sarah Constructions has long been aligned. Currently a mentor in the MBA Women Building Australia National Mentoring Program, Dena mentors a young woman building her career in the construction industry.

Along with Sarah Constructions Project Manager, Melisha Willington – former recipient of the NAWIC Outstanding Achievement in Construction award and HiViZ Outstanding Woman in Construction Award – these two women are paving the way for other South Australian women by demonstrating career opportunities available to them within the construction industry. Dena was recently a guest on Master Builders SA’s Building Perspective Podcast, in which she highlights the various opportunities and pathways available within the industry.

As an organisation, Sarah demonstrates with tangible action, our commitment to improving gender diversity in both our own business and in the wider construction industry. One example of this, is our Gold level sponsorship of NAWIC, the National Association of Women in Construction, a non-profit organisation that supports, promotes and celebrates women in construction and related industries.

To learn more about Sarah’s commitment to diversity or safety, contact us today.

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Careers, News

People At The Centre Of Sustainable Growth

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Over the past five decades, Sarah has maintained deliberate and strategic growth. This growth has been built on the foundation that if a business is made up of skilled, well-developed people, it will foster a well-developed and sustainable business. A business with longevity. With the right people and the right core structures in place, Sarah continues to deliver excellence for its clients.

From delivering the $52 Million Carmelite Aged Care Facility and $80 Million Minda Masterplan Development in 2018 to most recently successfully securing the $230 Million South Australian Schools PPP project; over recent years, Sarah has taken deliberate and strategic steps to increase its capability in the size and complexity of the projects it delivers.

Building a framework for developing the best people

For Adrian Esplin, winning the PPP job is the outcome of four years of foundational work. “We’ve created a structure at Sarah that can support, mentor, empower and develop the right people. For a business that has around 170 on the ground staff, you need the structures in place to organise resources in the right way, that will not only train them but also help sustain them” Adrian explains.

“One of the key strategies for me over the past three to four years has been bolstering our senior management strength. Since I initially started at Sarah, we now have a much more robust and sustainable senior management structure” says Adrian.

Attracting and retaining future talent

Alongside the improved management structure, Sarah has also successfully implemented Graduate, Site Supervisor and Safety Officer Training Programs.

Adrian takes a big picture approach to developing a Graduate Program at Sarah. “For me it’s about sustaining the industry. We need to take more of an establishment view, a view of the greater good; we can’t always be picking off the tree. Sometimes you’ve got to fertilise it, water it and grow it for the greater good of the industry. Developing graduates regardless of if they will stay at Sarah, will always reward the industry as a whole, like nurturing plants because you end up with more fruit,” explains Adrian.

With the success of the Graduate Program, the Site Supervisor Program was then developed. “The new program has been a resounding success,” says Adrian. “Participants include a range of people from different backgrounds, typically from a trade background but wanting to do something different. They’ve been in the industry but not as a building foreperson or supervisor. So at the end of 18 months in the program, many have benefited from significant professional development and are now working as Site Supervisors.”

There’s also no shortage of replacement participants in Sarah programs either. HR Manager, Stefan Popovic, explains:

“We know people love working at Sarah, because we get so many referrals from our staff. We don’t need to run an internal referral program; people just really enjoy the culture and opportunities we provide. Our strong referral network coupled with our increasing reputation as an employer of choice in the industry, means that we are constantly meeting with capable and talented individuals, looking to get involved.”

“This provides us with a unique opportunity to blend career progression and development with the onboarding of new talent into the business, the outcome of which is more jobs for South Australians. A great outcome for all,”  explains Stefan.

Future Focused Career Fulfilment

Ongoing learning and development is high on Sarah’s agenda, says Stefan. “We run graduate, trainee supervisor and trainee safety officer programs for those looking at getting into the construction industry. We also run a professional development series and training calendar for existing staff, aimed at knowledge sharing and addressing common areas of interest.”

“Wherever possible, we look at ways for our senior employees to pass on their knowledge to those just starting out in their careers.” The unique Sarah Constructions culture is at the heart of this supportive and collaborative learning environment.

“Our culture is our source of competitive advantage,” says Stefan. “It’s underpinned by our values and our belief that relationships are key to a successful construction business. We make sure that all new employees share in this belief before they join us and we continue to embed these values throughout the employment lifecycle. It starts with the way we treat each other, our clients and our contractors. This begins at the top and is championed at all levels of the organisation.”

Sarah’s Management team is committed to the ongoing development of Sarah’s people and, in turn, the strategic sustainability of the business. Adrian Esplin explains, “that’s one of the biggest drivers for me. I’m motivated by thinking, what do I need to be putting in place now so that in three years, our people can be having as much professional development and career fulfilment as they are now?”

If you’re looking to take that next step in your career, contact the Sarah HR team today at hr@sarah.com.au.

Careers

Developing Great Leaders In Construction Management

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Real leadership is a quality possessed by the very best team players. Great leaders in construction management work with their team, inspire their team and motivate them to achieve success.

Great teams need strong leadership. At Sarah Constructions, we understand that excellent leadership skills in construction management sets us apart.

Sarah is committed to the ongoing growth and improvement of our staff, which is why we run our Leadership Development Program.

People & Culture Manager, Laura Sarich, explains why leadership is so valuable to Sarah Constructions:

“You can tell when you are working in an organisation with good leadership. Communication is clear and open. All employees understand the vision and goals of the organisation and how they contribute to the organisation’s success. Employees not only feel respected, valued and cared for, they also feel a sense of autonomy supported by a clear purpose.

At the end of the day, we can feel when we are working in an organisation with good leadership. Morale is high, employees don’t want to leave and the organisation experiences sustainable long-term success.”

The Sarah Leadership Development Program

Sarah’s Leadership Development Program takes a holistic approach to honing leadership skills.

Covering stress and self management, negotiation skills and business development, the program is delivered in partnership with some of Australia’s top training providers and experts.

Site Supervisor Corey Mayo participated in the program last year. He believes the program has changed his behaviour and enabled him “to think about things differently”.

“We covered things that aren’t necessarily work related but definitely have an impact on us as people and therefore our work; for example, the negative effects of coffee and too much screen time.

“Rob Hart provided a session on psychology that was unlike anything I have ever done and really useful. The session has made me more self aware.”

Tiffany Porter is participating in this year’s program. For her, it has been invaluable.

“I have participated in leadership programs before but in comparison to this one, those programs were laughable. This is in a totally different league.”

 

Contracts Manager Tiffany is familiar with constructing compelling arguments. However, the Leadership Development Program has taught her how to negotiate.

“It was mind blowing. I am already implementing lessons learned in both my work and personal life.

I thought I was a good listener but this course really highlighted how much better I could be. Negotiating is about arguing to understand, not to win. It’s a value trade. You do something for me, I do something for you. I want to come across as flexible and able to compromise; this training has helped with that.”

Each program participant is assigned a mentor from the senior management team and given the opportunity to devise and work on a business development initiative. In this way, says Tiffany, “the program has been strategically developed so that you feel ingrained in the business.”

Not only has it helped her professionally, but the benefits are also being felt on a personal level. “Senior management took the time to listen to me,” she says.

“This approach and the company’s way of doing business is growing my trust in people.”

For Corey, the program has strengthened his connection to the business. “I feel like I’m not just a Site Supervisor,” he says. “I’m part of the leadership team, part of something more.”

At the end of the day, the benefits felt by individual participants are also felt by the business. For People & Culture Manager, Laura, this is the bottom line.  

“Our program ensures that our leaders are continuously improving and equipped to keep Sarah Constructions at the forefront of the construction industry, to deliver exceptional results for our clients.”

Find out more about career opportunities at Sarah Constructions

Successful Women in Construction: Site Supervisor Adele
Careers

A Pathway to Success: Women In Construction

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By Adele Munro-Chambers, Site Supervisor

My motto is, if you think you can do something, give it a go. I’ve always wanted to work with my hands, so being female was never going to stop me. I’m Adele, trainee Site Supervisor at Sarah Constructions, and I want everyone to know there are loads of opportunities for women in construction.

Learning a trade

I didn’t always want to work in construction. I wanted to be a mechanic. I always loved tinkering with things with my dad. So, when I left school at 16, I got a job as a forklift driver for an automotive company.

After a while there, I realised I was never going to progress in my career. I needed an apprenticeship and when I saw an advertisement in the paper for a plumbing apprenticeship in the construction field, I applied.

My dad was a bit surprised I wanted to be a plumber, but he wished me luck anyway. Not many females applied for those jobs back then. Plus, I was a bit older than the other apprentices at 20. I think the company was curious to see what I could do, so they invited me in for a meeting.

I stood out. I got some good jobs because I think people wanted to test me. That worked in my favour. Every task I was given, I did it. So I was able to prove myself. They quickly saw I was just as good, if not better, than my male counterparts.

Working on construction sites

I was plumbing for nearly 14 years and reached Site Supervisor level. But I wanted to challenge myself further, so I applied for the Site Supervisor trainee position at Sarah Constructions.

What I’m doing now is so different to site supervision for the plumbing company. Then, I was concentrating on only one trade and liaising with fewer people. The scheme of things was quite small.

Now I’m site supervising for Sarah Constructions, my remit is much broader. I’m dealing with lots of different contractors and service trades, so that’s all quite new to me.

Developing new skills

I only started two months ago so I’m still learning on the job. There’s something new every day, and that’s probably the best part for me.

I’m using totally different skills to when I started out in the construction industry. I still feel like I need to fix things with my hands, but the skills you use daily as a Site Supervisor are quite different.

At the moment, I spend my day organising pre-pour checks, making phone calls and ensuring paperwork is completed. I always had pretty good organisational skills but this job is definitely improving them.

In fact, when I consider my career in construction, I think I’ve done so well partly because of the skills I possess as a woman. My strong interpersonal skills have helped. When you’re liaising with lots of different people, it’s important to be able to see things from their point of view. I think that’s why females are so good in these positions.

Equal opportunities at Sarah Constructions

Sarah Constructions hired me based on my previous experience, my desire to work hard and my aspirations to progress my career. I’m not at a disadvantage because of my sex; everyone is given a fair go. What Adrian says about there being opportunities for women at Sarah Constructions rings true as far as I’m concerned.

I’m lucky in being broad shouldered with the physical strength to do things men can do. But you certainly don’t have to be physically strong to be given a chance. It’s not about manual labour these days.

There are many ways to get into the construction industry and different roles you can do. You can train and get experience in management or engineering, finance or occupational health and safety. There’s also project management.

If you think you can do it, just go for it! You’ll be surprised. There are companies out there, like Sarah Constructions, that provide real opportunities for, and want females in their workforce. It’s absolutely worth having a go.

Women in construction can succeed

Maybe I felt like the odd one out to start off with, but now I’ feel like a valued team member. Everyone knows I’ve got a trade background and I’ve worked in construction for many years, so I know my stuff. And here, everyone’s opinion matters.

Perhaps from the outside looking in, it still seems as though construction isn’t an industry for women. But for women actually working in construction right now, that’s just not the case; there’s definitely respect and reward for women in construction.

Awards, Careers, News

The NAWIC Awards for Excellence – Melisha Willington – Outstanding Achievement in Construction Award

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The NAWIC Awards for Excellence –

Outstanding Achievement in Construction Award

Melisha Willington, Sarah Constructions

Sarah Constructions would like to extend our congratulations to our Project Manager, Melisha Willington, on her National Association of Women in Construction Award for Outstanding Achievement in Construction!

Melisha is a great asset to our team; she exemplifies the intent of the award, which is to recognise women who have made a significant contribution to the construction of projects and accomplished outstanding achievements.

Melisha is an exceptional Project Manager who excels in all aspects of her role, this award stands as a well-deserved reflection of the outstanding level of service she continues to provide for our valued clients and their projects.

She is a self-motivated and results-driven professional who thrives in a stimulating environment. Melisha’s experience proves her ability to successfully manage works in complex and sensitive environments. She drives herself to continually learn and adapt to an evolving industry, whilst upholding the highest standard of integrity.

Melisha is paving the way for all young women working within or looking towards the construction industry and is a leader and an inspiration amongst her peers.

She is an inspiring, motivating and positive role model for all employees at Sarah Constructions, and her role as Mentor for the next generation of project personnel in Sarah is highly regarded.

Career Progression

Melisha has been working within the Construction Industry for 15 years, developing a commendable wealth of knowledge and experience in residential and commercial construction.

Melisha was awarded an Alumni Association Certificate for outstanding academic achievement whilst studying at University of South Australia. Her career started with Nevarc Constructions where she managed over 600 residential contracts, simultaneously coordinating up to 60 contracts.

Melisha transitioned into commercial construction with ISIS group where she progressed from Project Coordinator to Project Manager. During her tenure, Melisha was recognized within the top 15 percentile of Project Managers nationally for “Perfect Delivery” for projects consistently exceeding company targets. In 2014, Melisha was acknowledged with a commendation by the Master Builders Association. Her desire for continual evolvement saw her pursue an opportunity with Dig-it Landscapes to experience another perspective of commercial construction.

Melisha’s drive to continually develop saw her join us at Sarah Constructions in 2016, where she has prospered with every project she has managed. Melisha is currently participating in the 100 Women in Property Program for the Property Council of Australia and she was also selected for the 2017 Sarah Constructions Building Future Leaders Program which nurtures our organization’s highest achievers.

What’s it like on site with Melisha?

 

Melisha demonstrates a high-performance culture through continuous development and engagement. This culture is attained through collaboration, team cohesion, mutual trust, respect and the celebration of project successes. Melisha’s success is fostered by the relationships she develops, achieved through a customer focussed approach.

Communication is pivotal in the underlying accomplishments of the current Adelaide University Projects Melisha manages. Melisha encourages her team to take ownership of their areas of influence and promotes accountability and decision making to support delivery results. Melisha believes everyone plays a critical role in project delivery, valuing the importance of feedback and continual progression of her team.

Melisha’s project delivery success is fundamentally built on strong relationships,

collaboration with Subcontractors and Suppliers is highly valued as they are leaders in their professions, providing insight into the advancing building technologies, which Melisha regards as a vital asset.

Testimonials received by Clients have commended Melisha for her early communication about potential challenges, resulting in prompt management by the Client and avoiding any cost implications. Where budget is challenged Melisha sources alternative and cost-effective solutions in collaboration with the Subcontractors and Consultants. A recent example of this approach occurred on the ThincLab Project where Melisha worked with the Subcontractor and the Engineer to identify an alternative solution that generated a 30% cost saving for the Client.

“The ThincLab was a high priority project for the University and resulted in significant pressure to ensure the ThincLab was operational from early May 2017.

Construction commenced in January 2017 and from the commencement of her appointment Melisha set in place a high-performance culture with her assistant project manager, site supervisors and trade contractors, where collaboration was emphasised in order to achieve faster than normal timeframes for the procurement, shop drawing, manufacture and site installation.

Under Melisha’s management there was not one single HSW related issue and even more surprisingly there were no complaints received from building occupants despite the need for extensive internal demolition and unexpected and complicated floor preparation works within an occupied University building.

The project was delivered on time and on budget and the quality of workmanship was excellent as was evidenced in feedback from the end users and key stakeholders of the facility.”

Sean Carrick, Project Manager – Capital Projects Delivery, The University of Adelaide

Paul Marino Project Manager Sarah Constructions Winning Award
Careers

From Graduate To Project Manager In Under Five Years

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– by Paul Marino, Project Manager (pictured above right)

I’m very proud of my rapid career progression at Sarah Constructions. The journey has taken a lot of hard work but I’ve had plenty of support from the business, so if I can help just one reader on their journey to a top career in construction here at Sarah, then I’m happy to give something back.

My name is Paul Marino, I’m 28 years old and I’m a Project Manager at Sarah Constructions. Currently I’m working with Minda on one of Sarah’s biggest projects to date, but I only started with the business 5 years ago, after graduating from Uni SA with a degree in Construction Management and Economics.

I’ve achieved a great deal in a short space of time; I’ve been pretty lucky and had a lot of opportunities, but that came from a lot of hard work and having a clear vision of what I wanted.

How my career in construction began

I’ve been around construction my whole life; my father was a bricklayer who then started his own domestic construction company, so I was exposed to it at a young age, labouring with my old man, and developing a good appreciation for the evolution of a structure and the different facets of the building industry.

Not just building, but interacting with different types of people and seeing satisfaction in clients. I suppose that’s what drove me to follow this career path.

My career progression at Sarah

I started as a Project Assistant for the first couple of years at Sarah, then moved to a Project Administrator role, running smaller type projects on my own. After that, I became a Project Manager.

I was based on site with the Site Manager when I first arrived, learning the detail of how a structure actually goes together. Then I transitioned back into the office after 6-8 months and learned the admin side of project management; RFIs, variations, and client meetings, for example.

That first year was a solid foundation for me as a junior to absorb as much information and technical knowledge as I could.

Investing in and supporting people

My Project Manager back then saw that I had potential and that I really wanted to progress, so he invested a lot of time in me. Plus, receiving constant feedback from management gave me plenty of opportunity to prove myself.

I believe that it comes down to how much you want to succeed. If you want to go far, if you want to push yourself to be the best you can be, learn as much as you can, and develop as a person and a professional, then this is the place to do it.

“Sarah will invest as much time and money as they can in your development to ensure you get to where you want to go.”

 

For me, it’s not just a job at Sarah, there’s a career here. Friends of mine in the industry that work with different companies just don’t have the support that we do here. The business values mirror those that we have as individuals, which means that we’re all on the same page working together as a team.

Sarah is like a family. We’re all striving to be the best we can be, not only as individuals but as a business. I guess that’s why the business is growing so rapidly and constantly, because we all know what we need to do to achieve success.

Opportunities for Graduates

There are a lot of different career opportunities here; if not in Project Management, there are other areas, such as Estimating, Design Management, or Site Supervision. The Sarah Graduate Program is such a great initiative because it shows you what we’re about and the various areas of the business in which you can succeed. We’ve got so many good experienced people here, that Graduates gain terrific knowledge and exposure to what we do.

As a business we’re quite youthful; it shows that Sarah is investing in the future, bringing in the right people and training current staff to develop the younger recruits. It’s great for me because previously I’ve been investing in myself and increasing my own knowledge, but now I’m the one investing in juniors and helping to develop them, which allows me to grow professionally. Being selected to participate in the Sarah Future Leaders program last year, which is all about nurturing leadership skills within existing Sarah staff, was a big part of that.

My advice to you

On site I learned so much. Your university degree doesn’t provide you with the day-to-day work experience you need to understand what this industry is all about, so I highly recommend work experience to anyone. Even if it’s unpaid, get involved as much as you can.

The biggest piece of advice I can give you, if you’re lucky enough to come and work at Sarah, is to work hard. If you work hard, the technical and soft skills will follow. You just need to be patient on the journey because opportunities will arise here.

“The sky’s the limit here. There isn’t another builder within Adelaide that can provide what Sarah can to a Graduate.”

 

So much more than building

At the end of the day, a career in construction is so much more than building. With teamwork and collaboration, it’s trust that we build, not just buildings. Clients invest a lot of time and money into a product that we need to produce at a high quality, so we need to think like the client and their customers, as well as builders.

That’s why it’s so rewarding to be recognised within the industry. We recently won building excellence awards from the Master Builders Association and also the Australian Institute of Building, for our work on the Wilderness project. I get a huge sense of satisfaction from seeing my client happy; not just with a job well done, but also from having received external commendation for our work together. It’s especially rewarding to know that, because we won the category here in SA, we are also entered into the national award, which supports our position as industry leader nationwide.

Sarah Constructions is all about opportunity, reward, and work life balance. Whatever you’re going through in your life, they’ll be there for you to help you succeed. It’s a great place to work! All of us here count ourselves pretty lucky.

Awards

Australian Institute of Building (AIB) Awards 2017 – SA Chapter

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Sarah Constructions is delighted to have been awarded 7 Australian Institute of Building –  SA Chapter awards on Friday night; a fantastic result which highlights some of the outstanding projects we have delivered for our clients over the past 12 months.

Our people secured these awards working closely with our clients and the greater project team including designers, cost managers and project managers.  At Sarah, our reputation is created by our staff.  We owe our thanks to all team members and their unfaltering commitment to upholding our company values and consistently achieving award winning results.

Sarah was awarded the following: 

What sets our teams apart is not only the quality construction results we deliver, but the collaborative and solution focused approach that we take in everything that we do. Throughout the construction process, from tender right through to completion, continuing to build relationships is what we pride ourselves on – its why we do business.