Quantity Surveyor Review

On a day-to-day basis I am involved in project procurement - this includes sending out subcontract enquiries, reviewing quotes and placing subcontract orders. I also review subcontractor invoices, and then pay them for any work that has been completed. In the office, I interact with various people both internally and externally. I communicate internally with my project team, and members of management, and externally with the client and subcontractors.

During my apprenticeship, I have developed (an am continually developing) my communication, finance and excel skills. These are three skills which I use on a day to day basis, and are an essential part of my role as an apprentice QS. I hope to develop each of these skills further, so that I can become better in my role.

So far, I am really enjoying my programme and role as an Apprentice QS. Although at times I feel there is a lot to take in (in terms of knowledge of construction and finance), I am enjoying the learning process and am keen to learn more. Each person that I work with in my team are extremely friendly and are willing to help when I need it; they have all welcomed me and helped me to settle in to my role. I appreciate the company's culture and values - particular regarding health and safety in the work place.

In my opinion, I think that my programme is quite well-structured. In college, we go through a unit at a time and are given time to catch up on anything we have missed, at the end of each unit, before then completing an end-of-unit test. Our tutor has just recently provided us all with a list, of anything that we are missing, so that we can make sure we get it done. This is good as it helps us to keep on top of work.

The mentor that I am currently with is very helpful, and has offered to provide me with assistance (should I need it) with my college work. He will also gives me time, if requested, to get NVQ work completed. This is good to know, as I am often very busy at work, and easily forget about my NVQ.

I receive an adequate amount of support from my training provider. I have got my tutor's email, so can email him with any questions I may have between sessions, and he has always been quick to respond. As I have previously stated, he has also given us a list of any work that we have outstanding, so that we know what we need to aim to get completed.

I feel that the qualification does give me an insight into the construction knowledge that I require, to perform better on my role. I do often struggle to understand some of the topics which we discuss, especially because I am office based (on-the-job), so don't deal with a lot of the topics on a day to day basis. However, I know that I can always ask for help if I don't understand something.

The office manager, in the office that I work in, often arranges social activities for us to all go on if we want to. For example, in the past she has arranged for us to have a curry night; she is currently trying to arrange for us to go Go-Karting.

Yes

From my experience at JN Bentley so far, it is a really good company to work for. As employees, we have access to many great benefits, as well as a good company pension. As I have previously mentioned, the company’s values are also a highlight. I must also add that every other employee, who I have met so far, has been really friendly!

I would simply say that you should soon settle into the team that you are put into, and will be supported by those around you. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, because there will be plenty of people around you that will have an answer, and will be more than willing to assist when required.