Quantity Surveyor Apprentice
"Everyone you work with is willing to help you, and they’ve got that extra practical knowledge to lend you."
Now, I study one day a week at university and balance it with work. University alone wasn’t for me, but here you get the experience of the industry too. Plus it’s not like you’re just studying alone; you’re more supported here. Everyone you work with is willing to help you, and they’ve got that extra practical knowledge to lend you. University is very book-focused, but here you get first-hand experience from your colleagues.
You’re also building diverse experience in your field, too. My programme is the money side of construction: estimates, payments, things like that. An estimate’s an estimate wherever you train, but because of what we do here on a global scale, each project’s different; each location has new challenges. There’s always something different to consider, whether it’s local materials, contractors, customer security needs.
"Because of what we do here on a global scale, each project’s different; each location has new challenges."
Plus, the travel really broadens your view: you get to see all these new countries. You never know where you’re going to be, one week to the next. You get to see the countries you wouldn’t go to on holiday, and you see the real country, rather than the advertised tourist side. It’s been a definite eye-opener for me."