Site Engineer Review

Working on site each day, with some office work. Currently working in the drainage team, which involves permit raising, calculating drainage chamber make-ups, setting out, as-builting, quality control and more. I also attend university one day a week.

Learned more skills than I could list, however the main ones are how to effectively communicate with people, how to problem solve on the fly, and how to work under pressure and achieve time-sensitive goals.

I greatly enjoy the work side of my program, and love being out on site. However, I do not enjoy the university side of my program that much, but I realise that it is a necessary part of my development and will greatly benefit me in the long run

It is very well organised on my employer's side, I have set university days once a week, and the rest of my time I am at work. However, the university often changes their side of the program, such as method of course delivery.

I receive excellent support from my employer, and they reailise that I may need more time away from my work during the week to focus on university assignments when they are due, and are always willing to give me this extra time.

I have tri-monthly progress reviews between my employer, myself and my provider. These give me a chance to raise any issues I have with the university side of things. However, it often feels like the university does not accommodate for the workload and busy schedule we have as apprentices.

Some of the modules covered have had some overlap to my job role, however for the most part the content taught is either not applicable at all, or is outdated/unrealistic of how things are in real world applications.

There is an emerging talent network at Skanska that puts on monthly team calls to keep all the apprentices/graduates connected and to provide them with further learning opportunities in the form of guest speakers. They also organise in person meet-ups. There are team-building events and dinners on my project.

Yes

They have a great attitude towards people, and I never feel like I am alone in my apprenticeship journey. There are so many avenues I can go down to get the support I need if I required it. The work I do is very rewarding, and the people I work with are amazing.

Research the company and the project you are applying for and adapt your CV accordingly. Be prepared to be asked questions about the project at multiple stages of the application process. If site based, you will be working outside for most of the day, so make sure this is something that you enjoy doing.