Alexandra Coates, Level 4 Construction Quantity Surveying Technician, Procurement Operational Support, Commercial Governance, National Highways
What originally made you decide to start a construction apprenticeship?
I started working with National Highways as a commercial assistant, and a lot of my role was working with quantity surveyors and commercial managers. I was helping to assess monthly applications for payment and dealing with contractors, so I wanted to learn more about it and maybe become a QS as well.
I was told the best way to do that was through an apprenticeship alongside college, so that’s why I applied. My manager was really supportive and allowed me one day off a week to attend college, which happened to be on a Friday.
What lesson – technical or personal – has stayed with you the most?
I think Unit 4 was one of the most surprising, because it covered diversity, equality and ethical standards in construction. During the lesson, some students shared their personal experiences of working in the industry, and some of the stories – you wouldn’t think those things still happen today.
For example, women’s toilets being used as storage, or apprentices having pranks played on them and being sent out for things that don’t exist. It was quite eye-opening.
But I think it’s really important that it’s included, because everyone on the course is a future professional. If people are aware these things are happening, they can help fix them when they’re in positions of responsibility.”
How important is attitude compared to skill when you first start out?
I’d say attitude is more important, because the course starts completely from scratch. We learnt what the industry is, what the role of a QS is and how to produce schedules and take-offs from drawings.
You don’t need a lot of experience – people come from all sorts of different backgrounds – but you do need the attitude to want to learn and progress in your career. If you’re on the course, you probably already have that, but it’s still really important.
How do you think technology is changing the construction industry?
That was actually one of the units we did. My tutor said when he first started, everything was done with pen and paper, measuring on site. Now you can have drones flying over a site measuring everything, and you can create drawings on a computer in minutes.
So it’s changing things really quickly. But at the same time, I don’t think AI is going to take over anytime soon. We had to use AI to create a house layout, and it was terrible – it put a toilet right next to a bed.
So you still need people. But technology can definitely help with the more repetitive tasks, like finding patterns or pulling information out of large contracts. Hopefully it will make things easier, but people will still play a key role.
What are your next goals now that you’ve completed your apprenticeship?
It took me about two years to finish, so I think I’ll take a bit of a break now. It can be quite stressful balancing deadlines for college and work in the same week.
After that, I’ll look at continuing my education – maybe going to university next year.
