Project Support Review

My role as project support is to ensure effective coordination, documentation, and communication within the team where I assist with project planning, monitoring and maintaining accurate records to support successful project delivery.

I've developed existing skills such as using excel, structuring emails and facilitating meetings or conversations with the client or contractors.

I enjoy my programme as it allows me to be able to work on a project in a team learning on the job, seeing how day to day work is done as well as study alongside it. I can see some aspects of my studies in the project I am currently on helping me develop further.

I think the programme could be structured a bit better, while I appreciate the project I'm on now and the degree I am doing, I feel as if there could be an easier system of rotation within the company allowing apprentices to move to different projects that allow them to progress with their studies. I want to be able to move to see a variety of projects allowing me to understand different RIBA stages or projects and this is very difficult to do unless you have the right contacts to network with. These contacts are not publicised within the company and therefore available to anyone within the wider company with everyone left to their own devices to move, depending on their own network. This proves difficult for apprentices having just entered the workplace and not built a strong foundation. There is a central employee information page containing all current, past and future projects however it needs to be updated as it contains out of date information leading those looking at potential projects to contact project directors and managers about previous projects. To improve this I suggest a list of all emerging talent contacts within all sectors of Construct and Consult be shared with each representative as well as a process on how to move for clearer guidance on who to go to and what to do so that they are able to share that with the apprentices and grads depending on where they want to go. I also suggest a portal be made, much like the internal jobs portal for apprentices to post their project and position on if they would like to move, increasing visibility for other apprentices looking to move and allowing for swaps to be made rather than positions to be left empty. The emerging talent team could also be doing a lot more for apprentices who are struggling in their current roles with toxic teams and lack of work. They need to be able to support such apprentices and flag up teams and projects where these incidents are occurring. At the moment, these apprentices are getting ignored and left to suffer with the people they are placed around. Other than that we have portfolios we need to complete within a certain time frame to make sure we are developing in all the areas we need for our chartership. To better this I would say we need more information given to us about preparing for the chartership, what is involved and what we need to prepare so that we are informed and ready to start working beforehand.

My current team is amazing, my line manager does a lot to support me, she looks at the portfolios I have to complete and tries to give me work relating to what I need to complete. However, we are at a stage where we both know for my progress in these areas I need to move projects as my current project is not at the stages I need to learn from - please see the answer to the question above to see my issues relating to this. The emerging talent team provides workshops throughout the year on topics relating to our studies or apprenticeships.

UCEM is very supportive with reviews with your Apprenticeship Outcomes Officer every couple months to go through your development together with your line manager. I find this very useful as you know where you are in terms of how well you are doing to achieve all your knowledge skills and behaviours in line with your apprenticeship and degree pathway. They are also very supportive with your assignments and have sessions if you need help or to go through your assignment feedback. One thing I would say however, is that the feedback you receive on your assignments is often very very minimal and it can be hard to know where you lost marks or how to improve.

My degree helps me get background knowledge on the project, I understand some of the terminology around construction and what building techniques are being used.

There are hubs for certain groups that you can join, they usually have events running and sessions which you can join and learn from. We also have volunteering days every year, you can volunteer anywhere, but people like volunteering together for different initiatives.

No

I think for Mace to improve, processes need to be spread around the company, all employees need to know how to do something, what to do in certain situations such as moving projects. The company has many projects and project completion is not something new, for employee retention I think there needs to be an easy way of joining new projects internally. Within projects there needs to be a bit more cohesiveness, each project functions differently to another and it feels as if there is no unity across projects, sectors and the company overall. Another complaint I have is the office aesthetic, it needs a bit more colour and liveliness to it, one of the floors is decent but the rest are very monotone and grey.

So far, everyone I've spoken to is nice, it's a people based company, all about networking and getting to know more people for opportunities, at least for Consult.