Programme Manager - regeneration
Lewisham County Council

Alex K

00:00:04 My name is Alex K, and I’m a Programme Manager. At the moment we’re doing several projects in Deptford. The programme’s called The Future of Deptford Town Centre, and within that we’re doing a – renovating the station, we’re relocating the new school, building a new community centre, a new car park, and some new houses for the local residents. This is an artist’s impression of what the station will look like. And it’s – at the moment it’s – it’s a space which is just derelict. The arches are not being used for anything at all. In fact they were being used for anti-social behaviour before. And what we’d like to try and do is clean up the main square, and start utilising the arches for things like cafés and public spaces really.

00:00:54 Regeneration is a very interesting aspect to my work, and it’s also probably the most rewarding. Trying – seeing communities, like for example the Deptford community, how Deptford is at the moment, it’s – it is very run down, and hopefully with the work that we’re doing in Deptford, we’ll provide all the residents there with a better place to live, a better place to learn, with the new schools, and just an overall better place.

00:01:27 For me it’s very important at work to – to be flexible. I mean you get a lot – you get a lot of days holiday a year, more so than in the private sector, and on top of that we’ve got flexi-leave. You’ve got 35 hours to do in a week and – but it’s more or less up to you how many hours you spend each day at work. So you could finish at four one day, or you could finish at seven, which just enables you to go out and play sport in the afternoon. If you want to take an afternoon off and play a round of golf or something you can do that, as long as you do the hours. So it’s a very flexible way of working.

00:02:10 I did Business Studies at University, and after that I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do, so I worked in different industries for about two years, then I was – I started my Accountancy exams, worked in Finance for about three years, and then ended up in Programme Management. Accountancy didn’t really give me the change that I wanted in my – in my working life. Every day, every month, every year, you’d be having to do the same thing, exactly the same thing as you did the last time. And having been there for three years, I just wanted a bit of a change. It was hard, you didn’t really feel motivated to go into work, and whilst you were at work, it was just trying to get through the day. And then go home and come back the next day and do the same thing. So it wasn’t very rewarding. I was worried that I would never be really very passionate about anything, but at least with Programme Management I’ve found something that is interesting and rewarding.

00:03:15 If I could do absolutely anything at all in the world – I’d like to go abroad. I like my job in Programme Management, as it just gives you lots of different opportunities and, because you can take that round the world, yeah, I’d like to carry on in the sector that I’m in. Just maybe somewhere else in a different part of the world. Places like Chile, or Peru. Up and coming countries, I suppose, that have got a lot of regeneration going on, and need Programme Managers to – to carry out all the projects that they need to do.

00:03:49 ENDS