What made you decide to do an apprenticeship?
An apprenticeship combines academic learning with ‘hands on’ workplace experience. The balance of these two appealed to me much more than solely classroom learning as you might expect with going through college or university full-time. In addition to this, at the time of leaving school I wasn’t completely sure what I wanted to do in the future, but my keen interest in engineering seemed to fit the profile of the apprenticeships available.
How did the opportunity for you to start an apprenticeship with Exyte Hargreaves arise?
My Auntie worked as a Project Manager at Hargreaves and told me about the apprenticeships that were on offer. Although, this certainly didn’t guarantee me a position at the company, as I had to attend three interviews before being successful!
What did you do your apprenticeship in and what did you find valuable?
During the apprenticeship I rotated though the business, generally spending three months in the following departments/areas; Estimating, Engineering, Production Control, Manufacturing, Health & Safety, Planning & Commercial. Being able to work closely with the people that have years of knowledge and experience was (and still is) invaluable. Not only did I gain a good understanding of how each part of the business operates, but I was also able to develop my confidence and people skills.
What projects have you worked on?
Manchester Cancer Research Centre, TMF Urenco, Flintshire & Hunterston Converter Station, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Farringdon Station, Rolls Royce NAPS, Mensa & Hinkley Point C.
What is involved in your current role?
I currently manage a small team of quantity surveyors across the Mensa and Hinkley Point C Projects. As a team we monitor and report upon our financial position, ensure contractual compliance, procure and administer Subcontract packages, produce interim payment applications, identify and price compensation events, facilitate defined cost audits, and manage key risks/opportunities. We work closely with other team members and project stakeholders to ensure that our function as a commercial team delivers best value.
What do you enjoy most about your role?
The thing I like the most about my role is that I’m constantly learning new things, be it contractual understanding or how to manage difficult situations. My colleagues have always been willing to educate me and offer advice, and I would like to think I’m good at redeploying this in my own practices.
What has been your greatest achievement?
Graduating from university with a first-class degree is probably the achievement which I’m most proud of. It was quite difficult managing my ‘day job’ workload with the volume of assignments and papers required for university. And there was certainly numerous late nights and early mornings spent trying to meet deadlines!
What are your career aspirations?
Currently I’m enjoying the role of Commercial Lead for two of the company’s most valued projects. I’ve been using this opportunity to develop myself and learn as much as possible, but I do one day hope to work my way into a more senior position of the business.
What advice would you give to anyone thinking of joining the industry?
There are so many different career paths within the engineering and construction industry, that there will almost always be something for someone and you’ll find that you gravitate towards the role which you enjoy and excel in the most. You will likely be working alongside people with tons of knowledge and experience, so the key to learning is to just keep asking questions and challenging the norm.
