"With your determination and passion, you can achieve anything you want."
What does Anita do?
Anita works as a Digital Construction Coordinator (DCC). She manages Building Information Modeling (BIM), which combines different design models into one. Her job includes checking designs, spotting clashes, and helping teams, consultants, and suppliers work together. This helps projects finish smoothly and on time
Life before Kier 🎓
Anita studied psychology, economics, and IT in Year 12. She loved these subjects but wanted a more fun and creative path. So, she chose product design in the following year.
After finishing her A - Levels, Anita started university to pursue her passion for product design. The programme sparked her creativity and through her lecturer she secured a job in the industry. After graduating, Anita spent six years figuring out what she wanted to do. She worked at different companies doing various roles including window and warehouse manufacturing, telecommunications, and design. She gained valuable experience, but her creative side felt shunted.
“I found the shift tough. This reduced my love for product design in my career and personal life. I thought the problem was that I wasn’t enjoying my designs, but I lacked creative freedom.”
Reflecting on her sixth form days, she missed the freedom to create. She loved turning her ideas into prototypes and making them real products. During Covid, Anita researched career paths that had aspects of design, she learnt about building information modelling (BIM) and took courses to understand the role better. This helped her realise that she might want to pursue this path in the future and after a lot of research, she landed a job at Kier as a digital construction coordinator (DCC).
Week-to-week of a digital construction coordinator 🏗️
Her daily tasks change a lot, so no two days are the same. Her job isn’t only about using technology, but working closely with the construction team through the use of digital tools and systems. She checks and updates 3D models to spot problems that could slow things down on site and makes sure everyone involved in the project can access the right data. Since she talks to many people, good communication is a big part of her role.
"As a DCC, we want to make sure that all the information used during construction is digital. That way, it's saved forever and can't be lost or forgotten - like leaving papers on a train where someone else might find them."
BIM is not only about 3D models
A misconception about (BIM) is that a lot of people think is creating 3D models but that’s just one part of it.
It includes data collection, quality assurance systems, two-way communication tools, and managing documents on platforms like Viewpoint.
While 3D models are important, they’re not the main focus. There’s a whole digital ecosystem behind the scenes that helps projects run smoothly.
Anita is also part of our Racial Inclusion Network (RacIN) employee network.
As the RacIN Secretary, Anita ensures the smooth running of the network by organizing meetings, supporting th network leads with agendas, coordinating duties and actions, recording agreed tasks, and managing the RacIN calendar of upcoming activities and communications.
if you'd like to find out more about networks click here.
Q&A with Anita
What excites you most about the future of your field?
"I feel like digital construction is in a weird space. From what I’ve seen, it’s still in its early stages for some companies, while others already have a strong foundation.What excites me most are the opportunities. Kier is doing great, and I believe that as more companies adopt BIM, there will be room for change and innovation. When people start buying into it across the world, I’m really excited to see what that means for a job I love and enjoy doing."
Do you need a specific degree or experience to work in digital construction?
"When it comes to this role, especially within kier I don’t think there is a straight path forward kier is a great example of you can come from any background, any level of experience or education and you can still become a DCC, what matters is your determination and your passion."
What’s it like being a young woman in this field?
“Coming out of university I went straight into the manufacturing industry. One thing I realised was that for all the companies I worked for, I was always the only young woman. At Kier there is a lot more diversity in age and gender. Seeing people that looked like me in my role made me happy. Kier values people for their experience and skills rather than looking at where they are from and that makes me feel very content." - mention about her being in the Racin
Ready to explore a career in digital construction? Start your journey today - view our digital construction roles!
