COMIT Graduate and Apprentice Day
14 June 2016
Harrison O’Hara, Mobile Technology Manager at Costain, recently hosted the third annual COMIT Graduate & Apprentice Day, where delegates explore how technological innovation can help to address the challenges facing the construction industry.
Around 30 delegates attended the event at the Bentley Academy in London recently, drawn from a broad cross-section of the construction industry including Balfour Beatty, BAM Nuttall, CH2M, Costain, Oxford Brookes University, Skanska, Tarmac, Taylor Woodrow, TfL and Thames Tideway.
COMIT stands for Construction Opportunities for Mobile IT and its mission is to promote the use of mobile technology within the UK construction industry, spreading best practice, promoting new developments and facilitating understanding between technology providers and construction companies.
The attendees heard from Simon Wright from Vodafone, who discussed how data, combined with mobile telecommunications, is now being used to great effect in industries as far ranging as automotive and telematics, safety and monitoring, and real estate and reducing energy usage.
Costain’s Harrison O’Hara, who helped to organise the event, ran a workshop on what a paperless construction process might look like and how contractors and construction clients might survive without paper.
The event also looked at what personal protective equipment (PPE) of the future might look like and how it could incorporate technology to ensure employees are safe and healthy.
The event also gave delegates an opportunity to interact and share ideas. In groups, the delegates looked at a range of disruptive technologies which are increasingly being used in the construction sector like virtual reality headsets, 3D printing, digital paperwork and drones.
Looking to the not too distant future, the delegates were asked to consider the Brexit question and how a vote to leave the EU might affect the construction industry.
The event was well received by all those who attended.
Peter Slater, Aerial Solutions Manager at Costain, said: “COMIT always delivers extremely engaging and relevant meetings for young professionals. The content was directly relatable to improving efficiency and advancing the construction industry to a more sustainable future. I would recommend attendance to anyone who wants to become a part of the construction industries revolution rather than an observer.”
Sarah Hyland, a Graduate Business Improvement Engineer with Costain, said: “It was a very informative day, which highlighted a mixture of realistic digital solutions for now, as well as an indication of future digital capabilities.”
Costain’s Matthew Briggs, a Graduate Civil Engineer, added: “I found the day very motivating. The sharing of knowledge and discussing the challenges that other people face in trying to implement technology on their projects, as well as learning future opportunities and uses of new disruptive technologies, was very informative.”
Harrison said: “A massive thank you to all those who attended the COMIT Graduate and Apprentice Day, your contributions and willingness to participate made this a great day for everyone.”
If you are interested in finding out more about the day or are interested in attending future COMIT events, please get in touch with Harrison O’Hara at [email protected]
For more information about COMIT, please click on the link below:
Ends
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