Commercial Assistant Review

I am a commercial Manager. My day to day jobs include updating the cost report to reflect actual and forecasted costs for the project. Along with presenting this to the clients and the internal team. I participate in team meetings internally and I am involved in meetings with design consultants, town planning consultants and masterplan consultants. On a monthly basis I ensure any changes to the project that incur a cost or time impact are reported correctly and approved accordingly. Along with this I provide assistance in the change management process. My role also requires me to carry out ad-hoc tasks as required by my team.

Qualifications - Began studying towards my Quantity Surveying Degree which is a 5 year course. I have learnt about contract law, construction technology and materials, how to use CAD, Revit and other software to help me with my job. Internal Training Courses - I am currently enrolled on a construction technology training course provided by my employer. In this course I visit different projects such as; Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to learn different areas of construction technology like cladding, foundations etc... I also received various training specific to my role, for example estimating training and cost reporting training. I have gained an appreciation of working in client facing offices, an understanding of the professional world, how Mace as a business works. I have also learnt items more specific to my job, how to make payment applications, how to report project costs and changes.

Work - I enjoy my day to day work, however I wish there was more structure to my day to day job. Majority of my tasks I am involved in are often ad-hoc due to the situation of the project I am involved with. Team - The people at Mace are more than welcoming and are keen to help you out when you need it. You can ask anyone a question and they will go beyond expectations to answer your question and help you. Company Culture - Mace are a company that are willing to accept their downfalls and learn from them. This is a culture I strongly identify with and it is good to see honesty within the business from top to bottom. The experience of the last 7 months has exceeded my expectations.

It is clear by the time and money that Mace have invested in their apprentices that you are a valued employer. You receive the same benefits as any employee. Even as an apprentice your voice within a company of over 5,000 people DOES matter to those around you. My manager appreciates the work I do and so does the internal project team around me, however there is few occasions where you see this being expressed by the team. However my manager is quick to give praised and positive feedback when needed. I am yet to see my responsibilities within the team grow, although one reason for this may be the rotation plan implemented by HR where I move across business sectors every 9 months, this does make it hard to earn responsibilities. There are multiple opportunities within Mace to win awards, for example the apprentice awards, celebrating the achievements of the apprentices.

As it is a first year programme for the Quantity Surveyors we are almost the guinea pigs, so it does feel like Mace are learning as well as the apprentices. For example it took 4 months to receive our competency documents for our specific job title. However, the induction day we received provided us with everything we needed to know and showed us on the first day that the apprentices matter. The training provided by the company is exemplary in all aspects. Regular training is provided in various different areas and the potential to sign yourself up to various other training sessions is also readily available. Support meetings are existent, but not regular enough to provide the right feedback. When decision are made by HR for the scheme communication is made but email communication isn't sufficient to voice concerns or answer any queries. It would be good if more frequent contact with the apprentices on my scheme were made. We are also allocated mentors and can choose more mentors if needed to help guide you and for you to get ideas/view points from subjective members of the business in different sectors to help your development. This is good. Team hierarchy is well explained by organograms each month by my project director. Task delegation from a commercial aspect is poor on my project as tasks are often given to me by my managers superior that I cannot complete and no support is given. Overall the programme is organised and slowly improving.

University course is substandard. Lectures are poor, facilities are poor (and smelly). Although attitude towards your support is positive and they are happy to help if needed. The degree provided by the university will be useful for my career development. Along with this the course is very accommodating for part time students as it is not a heavy going degree yet you still learn what you need to.

Manager - weekly/daily meetings with line manager. However, as my line manager is so busy and often works out of office it can be tough to find enough time and support from him, through no fault of his own. It would be more beneficial if maybe a less senior or less busy person could be my manager. Regular mentor meetings are good to help you guide your development and let you ask someone outside of your working team questions or advice. HR provide lots of training and are approachable if needed. HR could make more of an attempt to approach us instead for our feedback as often apprentices based away from head office are almost cast aside at times being so far away. General attitude towards supporting me professionally and personally is very very good.

Working in central London, and being required to travel from site to site throughout the day is highly expensive. However for my personal situation at this very moment the salary provided is adequate to meet my living, travel and daily costs.

Volunteering - Company gives us 1 day a year to volunteer for charity and also HR has arranged a tough mudder event for the apprentices to raise money for charity which Mace will match. Leisure/sports clubs - recently my team was allowed access to a local gym. Company events - various quarterly comms events Various team events such as, bowling, drinks were done by my specific project team The social aspect outside of work at Mace can be whatever you choose to make it.

Yes

A tier 1 company that will provide you with the perfect platform to kick start and build your career. Within Mace you can achieve anything as there are no barriers.

Nothing of note.