Structural Technician Apprentice Review

As a technician my daily work involves working on construction drawings from the engineer markup. I cooperate with engineers and other techs to make sure that the structure I'm working on is buildable and all the details necessary are on the plans,

I have only started 6 months ago but I already gained a huge amount of knowledge. I have learned how to use multiple CAD programs, focusing my efforts on Revit as that is the program I use daily. I have also learned the basics of Rhino (focusing on Grasshopper) and AutoCAD. I have also gained plenty of knowledge around the subject of structures. The apprenticeship has also helped me develop soft skills, like intercommunication in the office.

Buro Happold has offered me plenty of support and everyone at the company is always happy to help me develop. There is a vast amount of resources which I can access. I come into the office daily and have been treated with a lot of respect.

BH is very well organised when it comes to training staff. I had over a month at the start to get accustomed to the working environment, start getting to know the programs and gain enough knowledge to start working on a project. I have been paired up with a tech and an engineer, both of which are more than happy to answer my questions.

Pretty much everyone I have spoken to is happy to answer my questions and give me insight into their work. The tech I have been paired up with on projects always answers my questions and gives me useful tips that help me develop myself as a tech.

Weston College could be better. They have been disorganised with lectures and slow to give back feedback on assignments because of internal processes. There is a lot of staff that clearly cares about my education but I would greatly appreciate if the process would be smoother and e would be more informed.

I feel that the qualification is there to give me the basic knowledge which I can develop further in my own time or at work. It also gives me insight into the construction industry outside of structures which helps to see the role of the department I work for.

There are plenty of events going on outside of the office. One of the biggest one is the YEF - Young Employee Forum, which organises plenty of events and help with networking in the company with other departments and offices. There are also regular lectures organised in the office with IStructE which I attend.

Yes

Everyone in the company has been very supportive and treated me with respect. There is a vast amount of resources which you are encouraged to go through to develop your knowledge and skills.

While applying for any company do your research about them as that helps to tailor the forms towards the role and company. While researching BH I have looked into projects that are huge like stadiums, but also small temporary structures. The most important document that I have read while applying was the sustainability report as that gives an broad overview of the company, their goals and achievements.