Commercial Assistant Review

My role as a Commercial Assistant is to help the Commercial Manager during the construction process in areas such as tendering, valuations, preparing contracts, procurement and monitoring project finances. As part of my role I have also been given the responsibility of taking meeting minutes in our weekly team meetings.

My self confidence has developed since starting my apprenticeship. This means I am able to speak up more in meetings, ask questions, more discussions which will aid my 'people' skills moving forward. Being based in an M&E department, I have learnt a few engineering skills such as how to read drawings called schematics. This has given me a better understanding of how the systems in a building work which is important as it will help make my job in commercial a bit easier.

Having other apprentices on the same programme as me makes it an enjoyable experience as I am able to network with them and get support with my role through asking for their help and their guidance in particular scenarios. Working with an older crowd on my projects makes this a worthwhile programme as it helps gain maturity and am able to learn how they conduct themselves in a professional environment. The University element is also beneficial as it enables me to meet up with the other apprentices which I wouldn't be able to do otherwise at work. This means i can catch up with them and see what they've been up to. I'm also really thriving upon the fact that I have my own responsibilities and work allocated to me which enables me to take pride in my work and is satisfying to be rewarded for your hard work.

We are given an introduction at the beginning to the company as a welcome and have a few initial presentations to give us an overview of the company and what they are driving us towards. My programme is well structured in that we are provided with a portfolio of specific competencies we need to meet and a rough guide as to what situations to gain these competencies in. We also have organised training events which cover all the relevant topics suited to our specific role which enable you to understand the theory and thought processes behind what goes on in your day to day job. We are also given plenty of notice about when/where these events are. The team that monitors the apprentices does a good job in monitoring our progress through 6 monthly review meetings where they are able to catch up on how we are getting on and get feedback from line managers.

We receive a lot of support from our employer in a multi-layered system. This support comes from our line mangers, mentors, Emerging Talent Team and from the fellow apprentices in our cohort. We have reviews twice a year with the Emerging Talent team (HR) to discuss our progress and get feedback from myself and my line manager. These are useful in giving them an insight into what goes on in my day to day life in the company and allows an opportunity for them to offer advice on how we can act to improve our development. However i do feel that these could be more often than every six months as this is a long time between each review. But the HR team are always available to speak to so any issues that arise between these reviews can immediately be brought to their attention. This level of support shows me that my employer has an immensely positive attitude to supporting me as I develop.

I feel like our training provider could offer us more support with our study at university as so far their only communication appears to be about out attendance and attainment rather than helping us with our modules etc. Support for working on our qualifications is available but only being at uni one day a week and working the rest makes it difficult to attend support sessions for our courses as they often take place when we have work. Even when we are at uni, it is so packed out with lectures (6 hours worth) that there isn't the time to attend them. Despite this the lecturers are always available to contact via email and their replies are on the whole very helpful.

The qualification enables you to develop a good grounding and understanding of the role you are working in. This gives you the theoretical knowledge behind some of the tasks you complete in your day to day job. This qualification also shows me the wider picture as to why we go through certain processes. I feel that I have gained a better insight into the industry and have seen and learnt about some of the many components which make up this industry.

Within this industry there are many opportunities to network with your fellow employees. These involve professional networking events such as business unit and company wide communications sessions which allow an opportunity for you to meet others working in your department and mix with those in the company you wouldn't normally mix with. The company also has a charitable organisation within it which encourages you to give some time helping them out and giving back to your local community. Within each project, a number of social activities are planned throughout the year which enable you to bond with your team, improve working relationships and create a better working environment. For example like Christmas parties, bowling, 5 a side football and usually some team drinks.

Yes

They are a brilliant company to work for put a lot of emphasis on development within your career and provide you with as many opportunities to do so as possible. Their huge success is reflected in their commitment to ensuring that not only does the business thrive, but every single one of their employees thrives in order to make this possible. I feel like they have looked after me well and that i have been welcomed into their community.

Do not be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself, because challenges present opportunity. Build yourself up a good portfolio and show a real interest to join Mace and enter the construction industry as this will make you particularly attractive to them and make you stand out. You can do this by gaining as much work experience as possible like i did.