Project Controls Assistant Review

Within Arup I was employed as a planner, my daily work is to work on an amazing piece of software called Primavera P6. The process includes populating the software with activities, durations, dates and logic to create a plan for the project and let the software calculate the end date of the project.

Through my time at Arup, I have learnt skills such as presenting by being given opportunities to present at events and large crowds. Believe me, I’m a very shy person, however Arup provided me with a course and encouragement, to build on this skill and feel comfortable. Another skill that I already developed from school was working on a software called excel, which back then I thought I knew everything about, but even now I’m still learning after three different courses ranging from beginner to advanced.

I enjoy the programme greatly it is very easy to follow within my workplace, if I ever need help I can just email my lecturer and the response time is usually within an hour or two. I am fortunate to have great people in my class that I get along with, and one recommendation that I have for you is create a group chat on WhatsApp, it will be a life saver. If I have a small problem on the assignment or I forgot when the next class is because my Outlook is not working, I can just easily ask on the group chat and usually the response is within minutes.

From speaking to other students at college, I believe that this programme varies on which company you go for. For example, one of the students within the class was taught by the firm to do the planning work on software called Microsoft project, which in my firm I had an opportunity to get to know but most other students haven’t. Furthermore, some of the students had a monthly structure organised by their work place in accordance to the college modules. Whereas at my workplace I’m the only apprentice doing this course, meaning that I have been given the freedom to choose between the sectors within my workplace to complete the placement within.

Again, it depends on the firm, within Arup I have been assigned a manager, mentor, people’s person (person who helps with college side of things) and a buddy (previous apprentice). So, the support system is quite varied and enables for a more professional feel, due to this I know who to go to, to get help and accurate information.

From the training provider’s point of view, I receive two support links, first being is my lecturer who knows most about my apprenticeship and progress. Likewise, the other person is administrator who helps me more from the technical side of things, with for example with a programme called Aptem, where our progress is tracked through assignments.

My situation would be slightly different because right now I am working towards a Level 3 qualification, however in the end I would prefer to get a degree, and good news is that a Level 6 project controls apprenticeship will come out soon. Within Arup there is a grading system, meaning that if I get a degree I will be a higher grade which comes with benefits such as more potential projects to work on and higher pay.

Professional extra-curricular activities I get involved with is attending events by APM (Association of Project Managers), which covers a lot of the modules within the apprenticeship, increasing my understanding. On the other, I also get involved with the Arup netball group, which is a great way to meet new people and get to know your co-workers better.

Yes

Compared to other firms that other college students attend, Arup gets involved in a wider range of industries, allowing you get involved in practically anything. Benefits of that is that if you ever feel like changing industries, within Arup you can go into economics and VR specialist. Arup can be found within over 100 countries, and works over 20,000 projects, it has a very good reputation for transparacy and reliability.

Research about what Arup does, and other apprenticeships they offer. I was shocked about how many different apprenticeships they have for different industries all around UK. Lastly, attend the open events provided by Arup, to get to meet the previous apprentices, and ask any questions that come to mind to make sure this is the route you want to go along.