Irma Cloete from St Helena Bay has worked in the construction industry since 2005, and after finishing her NQF 5 she started as a survey assistant on site. She worked her way up to surveyor position, and in 2018 she joined ASLA Construction: Civils, where she is paving the way as the only female surveyor in the Group. Her responsibilities on site include managing a labour team for specific disciplines (pipework, sewer, stormwater, earthworks, or roads) to ensure that the work is done in accordance with the designs. She is currently based at the Rhebokskloof Wine Estate project in Paarl.
What does an average day look like for you?
“I get up at 5am and leave the house in time to drop off my daughter at aftercare at 6am. I then collect the labour force and we get to work at 7. After a team talk and discussing the tasks we move out to site. During the day I’m surveying, supervising, and seeing the tasks for the day are completed. At 5:15pm I then retrace my morning route.”
What is your favourite, and least favourite part of the job?
“My favourite part is meeting new people and seeing different places, as well as learning new things every day. My least favourite part is all the driving – I drive almost 800km a week.”
What do you enjoy about your career in construction?
“My career in construction enables me to be an independent single mom, and though I am still not where I want to be, I’m grateful for the opportunities I have been given. ASLA is a large company, so you do have opportunities to grow in your career.
“In the beginning working amongst mainly men was more difficult, but once one establishes trust and builds relationships the working environment is fun – it’s important that I get on with the people I work with, as most of my time is spent at work with them, and they too help me be successful in my career.”
Who would you like to give a shout out to this Women’s Month?
“My parents, for being as strict as they were, and getting up each day to provide for us. My mom always used to say ‘just wait until you have a child’… I did not understand it at the time, but today, now that I have a daughter, it all makes sense me. I recently lost both of them, very shortly after each other, and I know that I wouldn’t be where I am today, if they hadn’t been as firm as they were.”
