Celebrating Laura Wood, Apprentice Quantity Surveyor
For National Apprentice Week, we are celebrating our apprentices who are helping to build the future. Laura Wood is an apprentice quantity surveyor who is currently working across two of our projects within the defence and nuclear sectors. Here she shares more about her apprenticeship, what her role involves and discusses the knowledge and skills she has gained from it.
What attracted you to Exyte Hargreaves apprenticeship scheme?
Exyte Hargreaves have an excellent program with many apprentices successfully going through education whilst gaining experience. Exyte Hargreaves had the opportunities for me to get involved with different departments and build a well-rounded education and experience on very interesting and exciting projects; which I knew I would love to be involved with.
What apprenticeship course are you on?
In the last 2 years I have been completing my HNC in Construction in the built environment and have recently achieved it and now currently going through my Level 4 End Point Assessment. I’m looking forward to progressing my academic studies at university in the near future.
Where there any challenges you have had overcome during your apprenticeship?
I am constantly incurring new challenges as every day is different as new tasks evolve, I quite enjoy this as its continuous learning and experience that I will use for the rest of my career.
However, I would say the biggest challenge I have had during my apprenticeship is transitioning from high school to juggling work and college and working away. This has encouraged me to mature, improve academically, improve on my time management, and focus on progressing my career. I believe nothing grows in the comfort zone; therefore, this change has been really rewarding for me and I have really enjoyed it.
What has been your greatest achievement during your apprenticeship?
I have had lots of achievements at Hargreaves, small and large, work related and personal. However, I would say being part of the EYTP award winning presentation for the H&V Awards was a big one for me; it took me out of my comfort zone and pushed me to be more confident when public speaking. However, on a more personal level finishing my HNC was a big achievement for me, it was all completely new to me and very different to what I was used to, so I’m very pleased.
What has been the most valuable part?
The most valuable part of the program for me has been the employees that have supported me, the project team have helped in so many ways and have made an extra effort in sharing their knowledge and teaching me. By working with a diverse group of professionals with different backgrounds and expertise has helped to develop my understanding and knowledge within in the industry allowing me to and now can adapt more to different challenges.
What is involved in your role?
My role involves on and off the job training, including courses, study time and coursework. My role within the commercial team incorporates working directly with the lead QS, this could be anything from raising and pricing compensation events, reporting and allocating costs, interacting with the team to understand the implications of any change to the works, sub-contractor payment certificates to substantiating our cost to our client. It’s a very busy environment so I find myself always doing something new.
What projects have you worked on?
I have worked on multiple projects, mainly focusing on Mensa. I also provide commercial support for Conventional Island, Hinkley Point C; these are both exciting jobs to be a part of as the environment is very engaging and there’s never a quiet day. I have been working on the commercial team at Mensa for almost a year which involves many different tasks, as above. The last year on Mensa for me has taught me so much, primarily from working on site and seeing the fundamentals of how the construction site operates and what’s entailed in the background. I have gained knowledge and experience from this project that will help me throughout my career ahead.
What are your career aspirations and how will the apprenticeship scheme help you to achieve them?
Taking the apprenticeship route at Exyte Hargreaves has built the foundations of my career which I wouldn’t have experienced through standalone college and university. I plan on further developing my knowledge and experience within Exyte Hargreaves and absorbing the vast amount of knowledge and experiences that my team possess.
I have been fortunate in being supported throughout my training from both Skills4Stem and Exyte Hargreaves by allocating my supported time for my studies whilst juggling my day-to-day role. Working on two major projects has been challenging, although rewarding and accomplishing. Not everybody gets the chance to work on such reputable sites so I’m greatly appreciative for the opportunity and strike to excel in my industry with the continued support from my employer and training provider.
