This apprenticeship opportunity sounded intriguing and I knew I would get a lot of experience in construction, which is something I wanted to do. I have been interested in this industry since about the age of 14 so most of my life I have always wanted to be in the sector.
The course, ‘construction in the built environment’, is a broad qualification so I didn’t have to choose what I wanted to specialise in immediately; I hadn’t seen something like this advertised before. The company I work for is local to me, so I don’t have to commute too far, and I get to build a better understanding of my local council.
Since I started, I feel that I have become more confident in asking questions and putting myself forward for things that will help my learning and be valuable for my experience. Since starting college I’ve been able to show more understanding at work with things we cover at there. Going to both has helped me explain to my manager and the colleagues I’ve been working with what areas I am currently most interested in; which means I can get more experience in the areas that I enjoy the most.
At work I’ve enjoyed going out on site. As the company I work for are taking part in both commercial and domestic projects I get to see a variety of construction types and meet different people who are present on the two types of sites. I also get to see and experience what goes on behind the construction, all the stages and people involved, and the structures at different stages which I find very interesting.
At college I’ve enjoyed learning a variety of units that are relevant to the job I want to do. I can see how the different units and topics will be useful for my apprenticeship and doing different types of tasks in the assignments such as online tests, drawing graphs, presentations etc. has been interesting.
After passing my probation I am looking forward to getting more experience in the industry. It will be great to do some projects of my own and carry out tasks from start to finish: something I haven’t had the chance to do yet. I am also looking forward to meeting new people from different teams that I haven’t worked with before.
I’d like to continue my education further so that I can become successful in a career in construction, preferably in quantity surveying. I want to be able to achieve charted status with a RICS qualification as I know that is internationally recognised and would give me a lot more options as to how to establish my career.