AN experienced construction specialist – who has worked on some of the Middle East’s biggest infrastructure projects – has urged women to follow their dreams, as she gets set to graduate with a master’s degree from Heriot-Watt University.
Sarbari Trivedi will graduate from the Edinburgh learning institute with a Master of Science degree in Commercial Management and Quantity Surveying today.
The 41-year-old started her career at a construction firm in India, which specialised in the delivery of technology parks and hotels. She then went on to work with a consultancy firm on the build of a new factory on behalf of Ford.
Sarbari then spent more than 11 years working on construction projects for Dar Al-Handasah, a large multi-national engineering consultancy. Her work at the Lebanon-headquartered firm included a host of landmark projects – most notably two of the stadium projects for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and NEOM, a new futuristic city being developed in Saudi Arabia.
Intent on securing a master’s degree accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Sarbari made the bold step of leaving her home in the city of Pune in Western India to move to Scotland and study at Heriot-Watt University.
“I wanted to upgrade myself because the engineering field is evolving,” Sarbari explained. “I wanted to better understand new methods and technologies as well as deepening my understanding of global best practices and aligning my future work with the evolving demands of the construction industry”.
Sarbari already has a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Pune University, where the emphasis is on technical and numerical skills. Postgraduate courses in the UK, on the other hand, focus more on skills like critical thinking, she explained.
She has hopes her story will inspire other women to follow their dream careers, whatever their age.
“Construction is a very a male dominated industry, but I hope women like me with different stories can help to inspire women to fulfil their dreams at any age,” she continued. “It can be very demanding for women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (‘STEM’) careers, because employers expect the same from both women and men in these roles. But it’s not the same for women – because we often have other family responsibilities alongside our work. Women can tend to prioritise others rather than themselves. I’m saying – live for yourself – and follow your dreams.”
At her graduation today from Heriot-Watt’s School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Sarbari will be joined by her husband Hasit, who is a chemical engineer working in the environmental industry. After graduating, Sarbari hopes to apply for a graduate visa to gain construction industry experience in the UK.
“This is a big milestone in my life and I’m very happy,” she said. “My parents and my husband are also very proud of me. I don’t mind saying that I’m really proud of myself too, because it was challenging and I’ve done really well.
“It was my husband’s support which helped me to make this academic journey. We’ve been married for 14 years and when told him that I wanted to pursue my study, he was very supportive and encouraging and said – you should do it.”
