technician Review

Within my current role as a technician, I am responsible for producing the deliverables to the contractor/client in the form of drawings and a parametric 3D model to which information can be extracted to populate schedules and take-offs. I have close engagement with engineers and am able to have an engineering input in many of the projects I work on.

Prior to starting my apprenticeship I had very limited experience of AutoCAD, which whilst it is used in some applications, more intelligent applications are utilized in my roles such as Revit and Navisworks. These programs allow more intelligent modeling, visualization and production of the deliverables. The majority of my current skillset I have learned in the workplace.

When talking to classmates who work for other companies, I realize that Arup, being the large company that they are, have a lot more higher-profile projects that I have had the opportunity to work on. Whilst I have currently not worked on many local projects, I have worked on many large international projects such as football stadiums and shopping centers.

My programme was quite bespoke in the fact that I already acquired my level 3 qualification prior to starting the apprenticeship, so only the NVQ was required to complete. In terms of the structure, because of the bespoke nature of my independent circumstances, I could not comment on a typical apprenticeship.

Up until my last appraisal, there did not seem to be a great deal of support in terms of career development. Whilst I have been given the opportunity to complete my HNC which wasn't a required part of the apprenticeship, it seemed to take a lot of pestering as many people as I could to achieve that. Following my recent appraisal, it seems there is more support moving forwards.

My training provider was only responsible for my NVQ as I had already acquired my level 3 qualification prior to starting the apprenticeship. The regular meetings with my training provider were fundamental in the efficient completion of my NVQ, and my training provider assisted greatly in the completion of some units which did not seem relevant to my role.

There are some elements within the NVQ that I completed with my training provider which I felt were beneficial to my role, but in my personal opinion, an NVQ is more of proof of knowledge rather than for learning. The level 3 diploma I completed before the apprenticeship did give a good foundation for building on, but I had already acquired that prior to starting the apprenticeship.

Arup hold regular social activities and annual sporting activities such as cricket. There are also STEM ambassadors who can assist in going into schools etc, and there are a number of strategic charities which Arup provide financial support to as well as expertise to assist the charities with their goals (providing clean water, building bridges in rural areas etc).

Yes

Overall, Arup is a great company to work for. The diversity of the projects is something that many companies simply cannot acquire, and for the most part there is support there. There is always a good vibe in the office and engineers and technicians are happy to answer any queries you may have in your day to day work.

Due to Arups professional profile, there are typically a large number of applications for any job role. I'd advise keeping your cover letter and C.V concise and relevant to the role you are to be applying for. Before the interview, research the company and state some facts that the interviewers may not be expecting. I'd always recommend asking as many questions throughout the interview and at the end regarding career development and regarding the companies policies. Show interest in the role that you are applying for rather than giving off the impression that 'it's a job at the end of the day'.