WEBVTT 00:00:04.838 --> 00:00:08.091 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:70% I'm Major Aarthi Prabhakaran originally from Surrey, B.C. 00:00:08.091 --> 00:00:11.886 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:105% I'm a Construction Engineering Officer posted to 8 Wing Trenton, here in Ontario. 00:00:16.850 --> 00:00:21.104 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:110% Wherever the Canadian Armed Forces are based or deployed, providing Canada's soldiers, 00:00:21.104 --> 00:00:26.025 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:115% aviators and sailors well-functioning infrastructure is a vital part of the mission. 00:00:26.025 --> 00:00:30.822 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:108% On base in Canada, Construction Engineering Officers fill the role of a town engineer, 00:00:30.822 --> 00:00:36.244 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:113% setting up and taking care of buildings and facilities, roadways, airfields, jetties, 00:00:36.244 --> 00:00:41.207 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:108% ranges and training areas, the power grid, as well as water supply and sewage systems. 00:00:41.958 --> 00:00:45.545 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:115% To me, the most attractive thing about being a Construction Engineering Officer 00:00:45.545 --> 00:00:49.174 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:78% was marrying what I had learned in my civil engineering degree 00:00:49.174 --> 00:00:51.843 align:middle line:85% position:50% size:90% with practical, real-life scenarios. 00:00:51.843 --> 00:00:55.972 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:120% I really enjoyed my education at the Royal Military College and I wanted to apply it. 00:00:56.639 --> 00:01:00.810 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:118% Their team includes a wide range of expert technicians who work in Construction; 00:01:00.810 --> 00:01:04.189 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:73% Water, Fuels and Environment; Electrical Distribution; 00:01:04.189 --> 00:01:07.275 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:75% Electrical Generating Systems; Plumbing and Heating; 00:01:07.275 --> 00:01:12.030 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:123% Refrigeration and Mechanical Systems; Fire Fighting, as well as Drafting and Surveying. 00:01:12.405 --> 00:01:16.868 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:105% So the job of a Construction Engineer is extremely vast. 00:01:16.868 --> 00:01:19.871 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:103% The great thing about the trade is that there are a few different streams 00:01:19.871 --> 00:01:24.292 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:105% that you can go down, and most officers actually get exposed to all of the streams 00:01:24.292 --> 00:01:26.669 align:middle line:85% position:50% size:103% at some point or another in their career. 00:01:26.669 --> 00:01:30.507 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:90% So you have the construction stream, you've got the firefighting stream, 00:01:30.507 --> 00:01:34.260 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:103% you've got the project management stream, and all of those are different aspects 00:01:34.260 --> 00:01:36.429 align:middle line:85% position:50% size:93% of what a Construction Engineer does. 00:01:36.554 --> 00:01:40.767 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:98% Whether the job calls for setting up humanitarian assistance camps in Haiti, 00:01:40.767 --> 00:01:43.937 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:100% weatherproofing a radar installation in the High Arctic, 00:01:43.937 --> 00:01:46.147 align:middle line:85% position:50% size:73% or flood control in Manitoba, 00:01:46.147 --> 00:01:49.818 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:105% Construction Engineers are always ready to travel anywhere in the country... 00:01:49.818 --> 00:01:51.402 align:middle line:85% position:50% size:35% and the world. 00:01:51.402 --> 00:01:54.697 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:83% When the Canadian Armed Forces deploy to a theatre of operation, 00:01:54.697 --> 00:01:58.743 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:113% Construction Engineers are the first ones in; and the last ones out. 00:01:58.743 --> 00:02:02.455 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:108% They build the camps for the Task Force to live in and operate from. 00:02:02.455 --> 00:02:07.210 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:118% They're the ones responsible for maintaining the camp infrastructure throughout the mission. 00:02:07.210 --> 00:02:11.756 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:125% And they're the ones that stay behind to dismantle and pack up the camp when the mission is complete. 00:02:12.298 --> 00:02:15.552 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:80% I've had two great opportunities to deploy so far in my career. 00:02:15.552 --> 00:02:19.055 align:middle line:85% position:50% size:113% My first opportunity was to Egypt for a year, 00:02:19.055 --> 00:02:23.143 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:110% and my second opportunity was on Operation Impact based out of Kuwait. 00:02:23.143 --> 00:02:26.813 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:125% Both of those opportunities were very different, but they were both fantastic. 00:02:26.813 --> 00:02:31.192 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:98% I learned a lot about myself, and all of the training that I had done 00:02:31.192 --> 00:02:34.696 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:78% leading up to those deployments was really great practice, 00:02:34.696 --> 00:02:38.992 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:120% but to be able to take all of that practice and put it into action was a really special feeling. 00:02:51.004 --> 00:02:53.464 align:middle line:85% position:50% size:120% I'm extremely proud of the work that we do here. 00:02:53.464 --> 00:02:57.886 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:113% There aren't too many places where you come to work with fantastic professionals 00:02:57.886 --> 00:03:01.014 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:65% who are also dedicated and motivated to be there. 00:03:01.014 --> 00:03:03.224 align:middle line:85% position:50% size:108% And that's by far the best part of the job, 00:03:03.224 --> 00:03:05.935 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:98% is working with all of these extremely talented people. 00:03:14.402 --> 00:03:17.488 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:83% Once they complete their military and occupational training, 00:03:17.488 --> 00:03:21.326 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:118% Construction Engineering Officers are typically posted to an engineering support unit 00:03:21.326 --> 00:03:23.870 align:middle line:85% position:50% size:85% at one of Canada's military bases, 00:03:23.870 --> 00:03:28.166 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:105% where they'll lead teams of highly-skilled technicians in the planning, budgeting, 00:03:28.166 --> 00:03:33.087 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:100% and execution of operating, repairing, and maintaining the base infrastructure. 00:03:33.087 --> 00:03:36.883 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:95% They could also be tasked to manage a wide range of construction projects, 00:03:36.883 --> 00:03:38.968 align:middle line:85% position:50% size:75% from conception to completion. 00:03:39.052 --> 00:03:43.014 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:100% The first couple of years of your career you'll spend learning the trade, 00:03:43.014 --> 00:03:46.935 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:90% learning the various components, getting to know the different trades 00:03:46.935 --> 00:03:49.646 align:middle line:85% position:50% size:123% that work for Construction Engineering Officers - 00:03:49.646 --> 00:03:54.067 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:93% it's very much a period of soaking up as much knowledge as you can, 00:03:54.067 --> 00:03:56.152 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:75% but you'll continue to do that throughout your career. 00:03:56.819 --> 00:04:00.823 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:113% Even during their first posting, Construction Engineers can expect to be deployed 00:04:00.823 --> 00:04:05.495 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:105% on an operational tour, either here in Canada or around the world. 00:04:05.495 --> 00:04:11.250 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:125% Construction Engineers always emulate their motto, "UBIQUE", which means "everywhere." 00:04:20.093 --> 00:04:23.888 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:93% So many moments in my career so far where I've had to pinch myself 00:04:23.888 --> 00:04:29.185 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:120% because I've been lucky enough to be flying into Iraq, and I'm it - I'm the engineer. 00:04:29.185 --> 00:04:33.523 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:100% And I've got to take the information in, and make a plan for execution. 00:04:33.523 --> 00:04:39.404 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:115% So it's moments like those that I look back on and really think that I'm extremely lucky 00:04:39.404 --> 00:04:42.573 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:80% to have chosen the profession that I've chosen, 00:04:42.573 --> 00:04:48.371 align:middle line:79% position:50% size:118% and know that every step along the way I'm able to do my job alongside some fantastic people.