Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship Construction and the Built Environment
Isabelle left college after her first year studying A-Levels as she decided that the subjects she had chosen did not reflect what she wanted to pursue as a career.
Isabelle said:
“After researching courses that were aligned with my skills in maths and science, as well as and what I enjoyed, I started studying Level 3 Construction and the Built Environment at New College Durham. I did not want a role that was 100% office based – fortunately, NCD also taught me interview skills and techniques to apply for apprenticeships. Esh offered me the apprenticeship scheme from there and that was the start of my career.
“I have been at Esh for nearly six years now and my career has changed significantly over this time. From the start of my career, I was lucky enough to shadow a Quantity Surveyor working on one of the larger jobs Esh-Stantec was delivering which allowed me to gain invaluable on-site experience and knowledge of the role. Throughout the years, I have gained more and more experience and promotions have followed.
“I have recently been promoted to a full Quantity Surveyor ahead of completing my dissertation as I have been commercially managing one of Esh-Stantec’s first reservoir projects. I have been promoted three times since starting as an apprentice; first to a Trainee, then to an Assistant and now to a Quantity Surveyor.
“Over my time I have won a number of awards including Apprentice of the year in 2018, as well as Most Promising Trainee Quantity Surveyor and Overall Trainee of the Year in 2019.
“There are fantastic opportunities for young people within the construction industry. With innovation and progression at the heart of the industry, the perceptions of it being ‘old school’ are changing rapidly as well as the idea that construction is a male dominated role.
“The industry holds a place for various roles such as Quantity Surveyors and Site Engineers, to Accounts Management and the Marketing Team. It’s a great environment with many progression opportunities.”
Isabelle aims to keep progressing as a Quantity Surveyor, she continued
“Following my graduation, I have gained further experience on a variety of projects. My goal is to progress to a Senior Quantity Surveyor and beyond. I am currently working towards my Chartership so aim to gain this in the next year.”