Lucian D’Arco, Group HSE Leader at O’Keefe Group, and NEBOSH National Diploma graduate from Northumbria University, discusses how completing the NEBOSH Diploma helped him to progress his career in the Health and Safety sector.
“In 2012 I decided I wanted a career-change. I already had an interest in Health and Safety and so decided I wanted to pursue a career in the Health and Safety industry. After looking into potential Health & Safety courses and qualifications, I enrolled on a NEBOSH National Certificate course at Northumbria University.
This was a 12 month course which I completed in 2013, and it really introduced me to the essential topics and competences needed for a Health and Safety role. After completing this I decided to continue with my qualifications and I enrolled on the NEBOSH National Diploma course at Northumbria University.
The diploma is an 18 month course which builds directly on the foundation knowledge provided by the NEBOSH National Certificate. The Diploma covers a varied range of practical topics, and is taught by diverse and highly experienced lecturers with first-hand experience.
I graduated from Northumbria University with the NEBOSH National Diploma qualification in 2015, and I wanted to get straight into a Health and Safety role, so that I could apply the knowledge and skills I gained from the Diploma on a practical level. I decided to apply for roles across the UK, and in August 2015 I relocated to London to start in a junior consultant position.
My career from then has been very varied and fast paced to say the least. Within two months of moving to London I was head hunted by THSP Risk Management, and then after a further couple of months I was seconded to work as lead Health & Safety Manager on the £750 million NOVA project in London Victoria. After 16 months of working on the NOVA project I decided to move into the Civils area of the sector, securing a role as Regional Health and Safety Manager for Careys Civil Engineering Group. Most recently I was approached by O’Keefe Group as they had a vacancy for Head of Health and Safety. I started my role as Group HSE Leader at O’Keefe in April 2019.
Over the past four years I have worked on a variety of large scale and high profile projects including the US Embassy at Vauxhall, Tottenham Football Stadium and the North West Cambridge housing project. As part of these projects I’ve worked with literally tens of thousands of clients, councils, contractors and subcontractors.
For me, the NEBOSH National Diploma has been the golden ticket in progressing my career and advancing through the industry, as it has been required in every one of my roles. The diploma gives you the practical knowledge and experience that you can really apply to your day to day work in the Health & Safety industry, and I definitely wouldn’t be where I am now in my career without it.”
NEBOSH qualifications are widely recognised and respected, and are often an essential requirement for Health and Safety roles. The NEBOSH National Certificate is often the first step needed for a Health and Safety career, providing a valuable overview, and a sound basis for further professional study such as the NEBOSH National Diploma. For further information on the NEBOSH courses, qualifications and available dates offered at Northumbria University visit our CPD pages.
For enquiries please contact business.enquiry@northumbria.ac.uk
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