7 February 2017 | Comments
St Helena Government’s Capital Programme Manager, Alfreda Yon, is now back on-Island having undertaken a three-month work placement with Faithful+ Gould, based in Euston Towers, London, from 7 September to 7 December 2016.
Alfreda who is PRINCE 2 qualified and also holds a Higher National Diploma in Project & Programme Management, heads up the SHG Programme Management Unit and manages the Capital Programme for Government’s portfolio of projects. However, having only worked in St Helena Government, the qualifications acquired are of limited value when it comes to applying them in other real life situations.
Alfreda embarked on the three-month work exposure with Faithful + Gould to gain hands-on experience in project & programme management, infrastructure programmes – especially on how to mobilise, organise, manage and deliver a programme, portfolio & project, and how to manage stakeholders.
The work placement has provided Alfreda with valuable experience in a number of fields, including:
- Project & Programme Management
- Health & Safety
- Quantity Surveying/Project Valuations
- Building Regulations
- Quality Standards
- Contract Management
During the exposure visit, Alfreda worked with a number of various clients and contractors such as the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Arcadis, U&I Group, Bowmer and Kirkland, Carillion and Overbury, to name a few.
Alfreda commented:
“The exposure was primarily in project & programme management and I went with the impression that I would be based in Euston Towers for the entire time, but Faithful + Gould was very pragmatic in their approach and wanted me to get out as much as I could in the three months.
“I worked on a number of projects across and outside of London, understanding the governance, project teams, stakeholders, contractual arrangements, valuations, risks, levels of authority and the change control process. Each project was different, and while St Helena is still a developing country, the principles of project & programme management remain the same. Yes, we need to be flexible in our approach to projects but we must also be committed to delivering the Capital Programme projects – both complex and non-complex change projects.
“The three months away has provided me with confidence and experience to gradually embed some new project & programme management techniques to ensure that we can deliver the Capital Programme, especially in developing a Project & Programme Management Capability Roadmap, introducing a propriety Project & Programme Management Control System and improving the macro and micro performance of the Capital Programme.”
Financial Secretary Dax Richards added:
“It’s great to have Alfreda back on-Island after gaining such valuable insight into how a fully functioning programme environment operates. Alfreda now plans to promote a gradual change to the way St Helena approaches project & programme management to ensure as an Island we are able to achieve best value for money from the limited capital resources we have.
“It’s no secret that we have not done well on the delivery of our capital projects in the past, however the skills and knowledge Alfreda has attained from this visit once rolled out can only result in significant improvements to delivery.”
SHG
7 February 2017
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