Meet Owen Thomas, S2e Building Surveyor
Owen joined S2e after his previous employer went out of business – and S2e offered him a great opportunity. He was creating 2D and 3D CAD designs for a commercial kitchen contractor, working alongside S2e delivering projects for schools. “When that firm was liquidated I got on the phone to S2e and they offered me a golden chance: join the company as a Building Surveyor while they support me through an MSc in Building Surveying at Nottingham Trent University,” Owen says. He will be working four days a week with one day on day-release for study. “It's a huge opportunity, the team is really supportive and I know I’m going to have a great journey with S2e. I'm looking forward to being a long-term part of the team,” he says.
Role at S2e
Owen has already worked on two significant projects, supporting S2e’s senior surveyors with kitchen refurbishments at Redmoor Academy and the Manor High School. In a fascinating twist, Owen had actually carried out the layout design for both projects in his previous job. Since he moved over to S2e he has been working on the surveying side, appointing the contractor and client progress meetings, for example, all the way to handover. “Both kitchens went live on time, they've just served their first meals to pupils and staff and they’re ready for 25 years of use,” Owen says.
His previous role included improving the ventilation and fire/gas safety features during kitchen refurbishments in old school buildings, so he is looking forward to building surveying for school sports halls, roof replacement and particularly modular buildings. “With modular we are taking a building literally from the ground up,” he explains. “I’ll be able to gain experience in civil engineering, groundworks and areas of construction that are new to me.”
S2e’s added value
Owen is clear about the value that S2e’s expertise brings clients. ”One of the things I really enjoy about being in the surveyor role between the client and contractor is that we are very much at the helm of solving the problems that come up on site. We are making the client’s life as easy as possible.
“As a company I feel that what we really offer to the education sector is that we take the weight off our clients, we can take all of the project management pressure off and carry these projects through from the point where we land on site to survey, all the way to project handover. We are with the client at all of those steps to support them through the process of meeting the needs of their estates. If there are any queries we are always there, from appointing the right contractor to making sure that the contract is delivered to the high standard that the schools deserve.”
Bright, inspiring learning facilities
Owen has a personal passion for working in the public sector. “I really enjoy working in the public sector specifically, delivering high-quality projects to local communities. These are buildings that are used by the majority of the public so to me it's really important that they are of a standard to really enhance the education sector. I've seen projects this year go from dingy classrooms to bright, inspiring specialist learning facilities. Seeing that is such a rewarding part of the job.”
About Surveyors to Education (S2e)
Surveyors to Education (S2e) work solely in the education sector to provide estate strategy, funding and surveying expertise to MATs and academies, giving trustees the information they need for making effective decisions. For more information on sustainability and how we can help you develop the optimum learning environment for your pupils, contact us today to find out more at 0116 5070130 or email enquire@s2e.org.uk.
