The Level 4 Construction Quantity Surveying Technician with Johnson Controls International, shares his experience and growth.
What originally made you decide to start a construction apprenticeship?
I wanted more than just the educational side of construction – I wanted hands-on experience and the chance to learn from experienced professionals. I looked at a range of roles, but quantity surveying was the one that appealed to me most.
I started at around 18 and, now aged 20, achieving a Level 4 qualification is a big milestone. The combination of college learning and working on site alongside people with 30 years’ experience has given me exposure to different aspects of the industry. Rather than spending three days a week in a classroom, I could apply what I was learning in a real working environment.
My college course involved one day a week over two academic years. It taught me the principles, while the job gave me the opportunity to take on responsibility. You earn that trust by putting in the work and showing people what you can do.
Did you have any experience of the construction industry before?
My dad has a project management background, and I have several family friends working in construction, from bricklayers and labourers to senior commercial professionals. One of my dad’s friends is a head of commercial, which is a position I’d eventually like to aspire to.
Talking to people with that experience has helped shape my outlook. They have encouraged me to keep an open mind because there will always be another opportunity, skill or qualification to pursue. You can start at ground level and work your way up.
What’s something you can do now that you couldn’t when you first started your apprenticeship?
My overall confidence has improved massively, particularly when speaking up in professional settings. I now feel comfortable contributing to meetings with construction professionals, both internally and externally, asking questions and sharing my views.
Two years ago, I’d have sat quietly at the back of a meeting, camera off, taking everything in. Now I have a much better understanding of the construction and commercial worlds and what is involved in being a quantity surveyor.
I’ve also developed technical knowledge around contracts, bills of quantities and take-offs. But perhaps more importantly, I’ve gone from simply absorbing information to producing it and sharing knowledge with my teammates.
I’m not going to pretend I’ve got it all worked out – I’m only two years in and I’ll still get things wrong. But learning to accept that mistakes happen and move on is important. It can be intimidating sitting in a client meeting discussing a final account or negotiating a variation, but you build that confidence through experience.
What advice would you give someone thinking about starting a construction apprenticeship?
Be open to different roles within construction. Applying for one position doesn’t mean you have to stay in that particular area. Some companies will give apprentices the opportunity to work across different teams – perhaps spending three months in design, then planning, procurement and project management. You might discover you’re better suited to something you hadn’t originally considered.
There are also plenty of people willing to share their experience and knowledge. Construction can seem daunting when you first arrive on site in your brand-new PPE, surrounded by experienced professionals. But you don’t need to know everything from day one. You just need to be willing to learn, work hard and make the most of opportunities, whether that’s in-house training, external development or industry seminars.
A willingness to learn is the main thing. Get stuck in, absorb as much as you can and remain flexible. You might join as a quantity surveyor but discover you’re actually the best salesperson the team has ever seen!
Have you discovered any roles that you didn’t know existed before starting your apprenticeship?
Procurement was probably the biggest surprise. I knew it involved sourcing suppliers and onboarding subcontractors, but I’d never appreciated how much work goes on behind the scenes, particularly in a large organisation such as Johnson Controls.
I spent some time with the in-house procurement team and learned about its supplier assessment processes, including environmental standards and the use of EcoVadis questionnaires. Suppliers are assessed against certain criteria before they can be shortlisted.
It made me realise that you can’t take procurement for granted. People might see subcontractors working on a project and assume the project manager simply appoints them and signs off their work. But there’s a huge amount of effort involved in supplier relationships, phone calls, negotiations and getting deals agreed. It’s a role that deserves more recognition.
Which new technologies or tools have you been most excited to use during your apprenticeship?
For me, it’s Autodesk Revit, which I first used as part of the college course. It allowed me to take a project from an initial blank canvas through to a fully developed design.
I built a two-storey house, using the software to create the different elements and explore the design in both 2D and 3D. I also spent time learning independently through YouTube tutorials and asking professionals for advice, rather than relying solely on my college tutor.
That experience has helped me understand the 2D drawings and 3D models I encounter at work. Revit is one of the programmes used by our designers, so I now have a much better appreciation of what they’re doing and how the different tools work.
It’s fascinating to start with nothing and create a complete building design. It gives you a real insight into the process designers use to bring a project to life.
What are your next goals?
My main ambition is to progress to a Level 6 degree while continuing to develop my professional competencies and knowledge.
I want to learn from everyone across the business, not just my commercial team. I don’t want to become narrow-minded: something we consider the right approach commercially might look very different to the project team, for example. Understanding those different perspectives is important.
I also want to make the most of training and qualification opportunities as my career develops, learning from people’s experiences – both the good and the bad – and understanding what to expect in situations such as final account meetings and agreeing variations.
Ultimately, I’d like to progress from junior to assistant and continue climbing the career ladder, with the ambition of reaching a director-level role in around 20 years’ time. But I know you have to get the foundations right first, and that’s what I’m focused on now.
