Apprentice Quantity Surveyor Review

My role within Arup is as an apprentice quantity surveyor. on a day to day basis I am likely to support senior members of staff with tasks such as comp checks, or I may work in cooperation with them to produce an estimate. at the moment I am working contracts admin on a job which consists of a lot of emailing and communication with engineers and other people within arup.

I have developed a lot of skills whilst working at arup, most importantly my communication skills which before were very poor. I was previously very shy and nervous in social situations and I feel that working I a team situation at arup has really benefited me.

I enjoy working at Arup and working within the Quantity Surveying department. Lately, my role has moved slightly away from the Quantity Surveying focus as I have been working with the Project Managers.

I feel reasonably valued by Arup, for a few months however, I found myself with not a lot of work to do, and my emails were ignored when I requested work. This did not make me feel very valued then, but things are much better now.

In comparison to the Civil Engineering programme which has been taking apprentices for many years, I feel that in comparison being the first apprentice in the Cost Management department is a lot less structured.

I receive a lot of support from my training provider. The NVQ visits from keith really help as he not only wants to support me with my NVQ but is eager to know what things I have been involved with at in the workplace and if I am happy.

My employer provide me with a great deal of support. I Have met a great deal of people within my department who are willing to help me with any task, no matter how big or small. this helps to create an enjoyable and supportive environment within the workplace.

Arup pays a good salary which is great. In comparison to the other apprentices however I have a large amount of money that I have to pay out in travel, which is the equivalent of almost half my wages once I have paid tax.

Outside of work Arup has an extensive network of sports clubs and societies which provides plenty of opportunities to get involved.

Yes

I feel that it is a good environment to work in with skilled people to learn from, it will look great on their CV for the future and their are many friendly and approachable people here.

I would advise people to apply to Arup if they are interested in the Civil Engineering scheme, I feel that the Quantity Surveying route is not yet established enough yet.