I attended the Leeds Apprenticeship Jobsfair back in March 2018 and the people that were there made the opportunity sound interesting which led me to apply for it.
I liked that it would give me the opportunity to work in construction as this is the industry I was looking to get into, with the goal of becoming a QS, and this is one of the first steps I thought would help me achieve that. I have always had the idea to be a QS or an architect within the construction industry, so this appealed to me. The ‘keep warm’ events and recruitment processes, together with the pre-apprenticeship preparations, have supported me in securing this apprenticeship opportunity.
So far at work I have learnt important skills and knowledge which will help me throughout my career within this industry. I have made new colleagues and worked in a professional environment which has allowed me to get first-hand experience of what a construction company’s office is actually like. I have been able to go out to numerous sites, both active and future ones in the planning stage, and I have also been to handovers, which is the last stage.
This has allowed me to generate general knowledge of how a site operates from start to finish and has influenced how my vision of how a construction company works. Further to this, I now know the amount of paperwork which needs to be done to allow for construction to take place. Since starting college, I have learnt about all the elements of construction and the built environment. I am hoping to achieve a distinction in the course and all the teachers are helping toward this.
The thing I have enjoyed most about this opportunity is experiencing first-hand what goes into constructing domestic buildings and meeting new people who have different insights into construction and learning knowledge from them. One thing I have enjoyed since starting at college is learning about the different elements of construction, gaining advice from the teachers, and being encouraged to achieve the best grades you can.
I am looking forward to gaining more responsibility within the workplace and getting more tasks that will enhance my experience within the industry, as well as completing my college course.
My hope for the future is to first achieve a distinction within my apprenticeship, working towards becoming a fully qualified quantity surveyor or an architect, and going into permanent employment in a construction company.